We are Made for Anticipation
I was chatting with my friend Gianna on the phone yesterday when she said, “I feel like it’s the day after Disneyland.” And then she laughed. “You know what I mean?”
Yes. Yes, I knew exactly what Gianna meant. You probably do too.
Disneyland. “The happiest place on earth” right? Most of us plan for weeks, if not months, to go on a Disney vacation. And then we experience all that happiness – the rides, the shows, the parades – and we come home e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d.
So why was yesterday a day-after-Disneyland kind of day for Gianna?
She was up at 4 a.m. to take one of her college-age daughters to the airport. Several hours later as we caught up with each other, she said, “I’m finally putting away the Christmas decorations.”
And that’s when she confessed her day-after-Disneyland fatigue.
Her words were such a perfect description of the after-the-holidaze slump. All the reasons to go, go, go are gone. So are the visiting family and friends. All the extras—the “lights, camera, and ACTION!” of the season have ended. All that’s left is, well, the cleanup.
(And to be honest, while working on this blog I finally reorganized my gift box and my wrapping paper that was cluttering my bedroom.)
Gianna’s next words had me tucking my phone against my ear and shoulder so I could grab a pen and scribble them down.
“We are built for anticipation.”
Yes.
I fought to stay in the conversation even as I started delving into the significance of her words.
We are built for anticipation.
There’s something about waiting … waiting with hope because we know something good is going to happen. Our car ride ends at the happiest, most magical place on earth. Or we wake up and – at last! – it’s Christmas morning.
But today?
Today it’s after all the holiday fun and we’re just tired, cleaning up the mess. And really, what are we waiting for?
What are we anticipating?
Maybe we just need to remember that we are made for anticipation and we’re waiting for something so much bigger than seeing Mickey Mouse or finding out what’s hidden beneath all the wrapping paper and bows.
I agree with my friend that anticipation is woven into our DNA by our Creator. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT) says “He has planted eternity in the human heart …”
We long for more than now. For more than this. Our hearts are looking forward to the “more” God has promised us. For what waits for us in eternity, when there’s no more disappointment, no more suffering, no more heartache.
During our lifetime we’ll experience all sorts of anticipations, little ones and Disney-size ones. But each one is a mere glimpse of one embedded in our soul. As motivational speaker Wayne Dyer said, “You are not a human being having a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being having a human experience.”
We are Made for Anticipation http://bit.ly/2NrsDWh #perspective #expectations #faith
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'Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.' Quote by Lucy Maud Montgomery http://bit.ly/2NrsDWh #anticipation #waiting
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