Anticipation

The dictionary defines anticipation as "the act of expecting or foreseeing something; expectation."  Do you like roller coasters?  Here's a fun fact for you about my family...my mom LOVES roller coasters and my dad is absolutely terrified of them!  I used to be in his camp...I wouldn't even set foot on one when I was younger.  One time I rode the Mine Train at Six Flags with him and he screamed so hard that I couldn't stop laughing at him. That happened again on a ride at Dollywood a few years ago.  I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard.  My mom tricked me one time at Six Flags and said, "The Scream Machine isn't bad at all...it's not scary."  Well, I should have been smarter and realized that it had the word "scream" in the title.  Why do we believe everything our parents say?  ;)  I rode with her and she was trying so hard not to laugh at me.  I was screaming, "You lied!  You lied!  Get me off!  This is terrible!"  And then I was cured...I decided it was worth the gut in your throat feeling and the piercing screams.  Remember that anticipation as you climb to the top of the roller coaster?  Your eyes are wide, your breath is short, and your body tenses up with what you know is coming.  But here's the thing...you know what is coming...you've seen in part from the ground and now you get to experience it.  

Jesus coming to earth wasn't a far-fetched concept.  People anticipated his coming for a very, very long time. They knew in part, but until they experienced it, they couldn't truly put the experience into words.  It takes the anticipation to make the reality meaningful.  

But here's the kicker...most didn't recognize him when he came.  What they had been anticipating and hoping for wasn't at all what they thought they would see or experience.  A baby?  Born to poor people?  To a virgin?  With animals?  Nope, not him...that's not our Messiah...that's not good enough for what we've been anticipating.

We go through life anticipating whatever is next.  Graduating from school...the next holiday season...the next promotion at work...the next meal for some....the next car....the next baby...plan after plan, moment after moment, we anticipate.  We think we know what's coming, but we just can't wait to see how it will pan out.  Do we get lost in the anticipation like many people did waiting for their Messiah?  If we're not careful, we will miss what has already come.  God has answered prayers, but maybe it's not what we were looking for.  God has told us to wait and maybe we just want to keep moving forward with what we think we need.  Your redemption, your blessing, your teachable moment, your grace for the moment....it all may be right in front of your eyes.  

Anticipate, but don't get lost in what you think should come....raise your hands and scream....experience the roller coaster.