Anticipation

 Our daughter, Katie, has discovered singing.  She has always enjoyed music, but just in the last few weeks has she seemed to become aware that she can sing.  Now, I won’t write a lengthy post about her delicate breath control or flawless pitch…not because I don’t want to brag, but simply because, she has neither.  She just knows there are parts on songs, that she can open her mouth wide and belt out a sound.  The hysterical part is watching her.  Elmo will be sitting at his little piano playing his own theme song.  You know the one, “Doodoododo, Doodoododo Elmo’s world, Doodoododo, Doodoododo Elmo’s world, Elmo loves his goldfish, his crayons tooo, thaaaat’s Elmo’s woooooorld!”  Right about the “his crayons too” part, Katie gets excited.  She sits up in her little seat, she takes a couple of quick short breaths, her hands shake back and forth like she has big news to tell….then right when the furry red monster says “thaaaats Elmo’s” Katie’s head goes back, jaw drops and a loud pitch in the key of #R comes belting out to sing “woooooorld” right in time with Elmo.  It is quite possibly one of the cutest things I have ever seen…ever!  Our whole family giggles at her and claps for her mini concert of one note.  She beams with pride like she has just sung “Ava Maria” in perfect Italian.  My favorite part is watching her wait for that note, because she knows its coming, and she gets ready for it.  Anticipation.  Children have the great ability to anticipate, they wait all year for Christmas, in fact half of them can hardly sleep Christmas evening, because they just can’t wait to jump out of bed and see what is waiting for them under the tree.  They are the same way with birthdays, Easter baskets and Fourth of July fireworks.   I think that the excitement of anticipation is something we lose sight of over the years.  We get so focused on what has to happen and what needs to get done in life that we lose our excitement and anticipation for what is going to happen.  When was the last time you just couldn’t wait for your birthday to get here?  How long has it been since you were excited with anticipation about seeing a gift your kids got you for Christmas?  When was the last time you were happy with anticipation over how the Lord was going to work out an issue in your life?  Sometimes, the joy is in the waiting.  You may not get anything for your birthday, but it’s still your special day.  Your gift from your children may be a tacky pair of socks that you would never wear in public, but they are special because they are for you from them.  You may have no clue how God is going to fix this situation for you, but He will…He promised.  Regardless of the outcomes, we must reclaim the beauty of anticipation in life.  It truly will bring so much joy to your journey.