But if we learn to think of it as anticipation, as learning, as growing, if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time, what wonderful horizons open out! Anna Neagle
Maybe it was Christmas Eve the year you’d asked and prayed for, and started saving for three times. the perfect Schwinn bicycle. Maybe it was decades later, waiting for the oncologist to come in with the latest lab results. And somewhere in the middle of life, times without number, when you looked forward, for better or worse, with anticipation. Does anyone live without anticipation on life’s journey?
Now we can look forward to the salvation God has promised us. There is no longer any room for doubt, and we can tell others that salvation is ours, for there is no question that he will do what he says.
Hebrews 10:23 TLB
On the journey to publication, there’s large blocks of downtime. During the out-sourced editing prior to submission, for example, is plenty of time to start planning and anticipating the celebration of your book’s launch. As the dates for both the launch and celebration got closer for Behind the Halo, my level of anticipation increased exponentially.
Have you looked forward to that promotion announcement, trying to play it cool every time you walked into the office? Or perhaps your anticipation for a long-awaited child grew in proportion to your tummy. Maybe you’re a late bloomer like me, and let out a cheer when you saw the college graduation date you had worked toward for so long finally listed in the course catalog.
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Isaiah 26: 3 AMPC
There’s two things I’ve learned this past year about anticipation. Whether it’s positive or negative, it can be unpredictable, and there’s no end date for anticipation. sure makes life interesting, doesn’t it? When I began to figure those things out, the importance of trusting the Lord was affirmed for me once again.
For months I anticipated the publication of Behind the Halo. On June 12 when it hit Amazon…that was pretty terrific, but I quickly realized the anticipation didn’t end in the next few days, it only shifted focus. One ending created a new beginning.
What are you anticipating, Dear Reader? Are you looking forward to something that might morph into a new adventure? I’m excited to see how the Lord uses Behind the Halo, but it’s only a piece of His journey for me. What are some of the possibilities or opportunities you are trusting the Lord to keep His hand upon for you?
