Anticipation of the Unknown
Every year we took a vacation during our kids’ childhood, we played a game. We counted down to the beach trip. We had a “100-Day” party at dinner when we were only 100 days from our departure. Kelly and I would put yellow post-it notes or write a number on a brown lunch sack for our kids. Every day, they saw the number–the days left until we left for the beach. It was a fun way to build anticipation for our vacation.
As we drew closer to our little rented condo, we all began to get excited, eager to see what the beach looked like that year. It was always changing. Some years brought wide expanses of white sand and crystal-clear water. Others followed huge storms and the beach would be half the size that it was in our previous trip. Some years brought clear water, but very little visible sea life. The next year, the ocean floor was littered with thousands of sand dollars, but the water wasn’t as clear. Each of those experiences had their own blessings and adjustments. But the excitement was in the anticipation of what we would discover.
Do you look at the future of your life in that way? Do you look forward with grief or joy, excitement or dread? Some people in our community look forward and they grieve the changes; others embrace the changes. What tickles me is that I have heard people complain about what they did NOT have for a few years, but when it came, they complained about the effect of those conveniences and how they were “changing things.”
Paul was constantly on the move and he never knew what to expect, but he pressed forward, day after day in anticipation of what God would do. I find his example a challenge. Will I walk into the future with faith and anticipation of what God could and will do? Or will I decide that I should dictate to Him what should be? I’ll share a secret: If you will walk with anticipation and an open heart, the result will be far more satisfying. But if you decide what it MUST be, you will tend to be disappointed often.
Which will be your mindset as you approach the future? I choose to trust that God is up to things I don’t yet understand, but I can trust Him with them! That makes the anticipation of the unknown an exciting venture!
