Anticipation
Carly Simon sang about it
in 1971, and Heinz used her song to promote the thickness of its
ketchup in 2010. It means an “expectation of something to happen” and
“a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen.” For
several reasons, that has been the word that has been circulating
through my mind for the past several days.
My husband and I drove from
northwest North Carolina down to Jacksonville, Florida the first
weekend of February 2021 to attend a wedding. As I was packing, I made
sure to include an audio book I’d been anticipating listening to, and I
was confident it would be something my husband would enjoy, as well. I
generally prefer renting a car to save wear and tear on our personal
vehicles, and to have someone else responsible in the event of a
breakdown. So, after getting through the heavy traffic of the Charlotte
area and picking up fast food for lunch to eat on our way, I pulled out
the first CD of the audio book. And, to my disappointment, the rental
car did not have a CD player. Oh, it had a fancy radio system with a
long list of Sirius channels available, but no CD player. Sigh.
While continuing our drive south, we
decided to treat ourselves to a steak meal with all the fixings for
dinner. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any road signs or billboards
advertising any of the popular steak restaurants once we were ready to
eat. The last stretch of Georgia into north Florida doesn’t offer much
in the way of “fine dining,” so we finally settled on eating at a
Denny’s. Since I had been anticipating sinking my teeth into a
mouth-watering, juicy steak the entire drive, I held onto my dream by
ordering a steak. The flavor of Denny’s steak was good, and I’ve eaten
worse, but the reality in no way met up to the steak for which my mouth
had been anticipating.
Since our weather in North Carolina
had been cold and rainy of late, I anticipated going south for some
warmer weather. Afterall, friends of mine had recently spent a week in
Central Florida just a couple of weeks prior, and they enjoyed
beautiful, sunny weather in the mid 70’s. So, my anticipation of
packing a pair of capris and flip flops to take a stroll on the beach
was not out of the realm of reality. But as I checked the Jacksonville
weather reports prior to packing, I realized my wish was not meant to
be. We did make it to the beach, but we were bundled up in jackets and
carrying umbrellas.
While at the wedding, the word
“anticipation” continued swirling
through my mind. Needless to say, there is always anticipation on the
part of the bride and groom as they say their “I do’s.” Even though
they might be anticipating the “and they lived happily ever after”
outcome following their nuptials, there’s a good reason why wedding
vows include phrases such as “for better or for worse,” “for richer or
for poorer,” and “in sickness and in health.” Marriage isn’t a fairy
tale. It has its ups and downs. It has its struggles. It has its hard
times. So, the anticipation of saying their “I do’s” is typically about
the wonderfully sweet, romantic sides of the relationship and seldom
the hardships that will eventually show up.
My husband and I both love football,
so we were excited that our
weekend would conclude with watching the Super Bowl back in the
comforts of our home. The sports world was filled with the anticipation
of two deserving teams going head-to-head. The teams had proven
themselves to be the best in their conference and equally matched, thus
the anticipation the game would be a battle until the clock ran out. As
it turned out, and a surprise to most watching the game, the game
wasn’t as much of a competition as it had been anticipated. One group
of fans, I’m sure, turned off the TV feeling disappointed and defeated,
while the other side celebrated. In either case, the outcome will
eventually take a backseat to other sports interests or life events,
and the anticipation experienced prior to the Super Bowl will fade away.
As you can see, life is full of
anticipation. However, while we may
have hopes of good things happening or expectations of wonderful
outcomes, the anticipation of the “good happening” doesn’t always pan
out. Sometimes we’re left disappointed and feeling let down. In many
instances, the hype of anticipating an event often outweighs the
reality.
However, myself along with millions,
if not billions, of other
Christians around the globe are currently anticipating the return of
Jesus Christ. And, you know what? Based on what we’ve been told in the
Bible, the reality and lasting results of His return will greatly
surpass our anticipation or any thoughts our imagination conjured up
about being in heaven. In this case, the anticipation of Christ’s
return and spending an eternity in heaven will pale in comparison to
the reality. Therefore, the anticipation I’m feeling today is
excitement about something that IS going to happen.
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