Free Long Time Coming by Vanessa Miller Page B

about.

8
     
     
     
    D eidre and Johnson sat down in the family room for their normal Saturday morning scripture reading and prayer time. They'd been married for seven years but hadn't dedicated their lives to Christ until the third year of their marriage. Since that time, as long as Johnson wasn't deployed, they made Saturday morning the time they sat down as a family with God.
    "So what have you been reading this week?" Johnson asked Deidre.
    This was normally how their family time with God began: they would discuss the chapters or verses in the Bible that they'd read individually that week and then talk about what stuck out for them. Deidre thoroughly enjoyed reading the word of God, because each time she read a particular book of the Bible, she found something new that she hadn't seen the last time she read it. But lately she hadn't felt much like delving into her Bible, so she admitted, "I didn't have time to read anything this week."
    Johnson hesitated for a moment, started to say something, shook his head, and then said, "I've been reading in 1 Corinthians this week. I came across some verses in the second chapter that really stuck with me. Would you like to hear them?"
    Deidre hated herself for being so fickle with God, but she really didn't want to listen to Johnson quote scriptures this morning. She wanted to crawl back into her bed and throw the covers over her head and stay there until the morning passed by. But the look on Johnson's face made her feel bad about her sour mood. So she said, "Yes, Johnson, please tell me about the scriptures that impacted you this week."
    Johnson opened his Bible and flipped to 1 Corinthians. When he reached the second chapter, he pointed at the fifth verse and read, " Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." He then pointed at verse 9 in chapter 2 and read, " But as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. ' "
    Deidre was trying to get involved in Johnson's scripture reading, but it was so hard to be optimistic. Because even though she knew in her heart that the promises of God were yea, yea, and Amen, it felt more like no, no, and no way where she was concerned.
    "Those scriptures spoke so clearly to me this week," Johnson was saying."Because I truly believe that God hasn't forgotten us and that He has our best interests at heart, no matter what it looks like right now."
    She leaned her head back against the couch and said, "I wish I had your faith. Honestly, Johnson, I just really don't know what God is thinking concerning my heart's desire." She put her hand against her heart as she continued, "Having a baby with you would mean everything to me, but God doesn't seem to care."
    "Don't say that, honey."
    A tear rolled down her face. She wiped it away."I don't want to say things like that, but I'm thinking it, Johnson. So why shouldn't I say it?"
    He pulled his wife into his arms and wet her face with loving kisses."I don't like to see you hurting like this, De. Tell me what I can do to help you, and I swear I'll move heaven and earth to make it happen."
    She knew Johnson meant every word he said, but he still couldn't help her. He wanted a child, and she desperately wanted to give one to him, but nothing they had tried so far had made any difference. And Deidre knew with everything in her that one day soon she would have to pay for how she had deceived Johnson.
    "Can we just go on and pray?" Deidre was trying to move things along faster than their normal relaxed Saturday morning pace. They usually fixed breakfast together, and then sat down in the living room and discussed the scriptures and the way each of them felt the scriptures had impacted their lives that particular week. And depending on what they were dealing with—impending deployment, mistreatment by a bad boss, financial situations, or whatever the case might be that