Here's a thought

Let's talk about expectations. Oohhh... did any of you feel tempted to quit reading?? Maybe you cringed inwardly or allowed yourself to groan outloud. Yes, my friends... expectations. If we were honest with ourselves, how many of us would say we set HIGH, UNttainable expectations for, NOT only ourselves, but for EVERYONE else around us? How often do we set ourselves up for disappointment and failure...not to mention how damaging this can be to relationships in our lives. SO often, it's those unspoken expectations too are never met; which leave us feeling empty, unloved, unpersued, and unimportant to a loved one. Or how about that sense of personal failure, never measuring up, constantly striving for something we'll never be.

Is this ringing true for anyone?

So, here's a concept I heard not long ago. It was this. Instead of having expectations set in place...... it called us to "eagerly anticipate". Hmmm..doesn't that sound better, even? :) I think it's a process of re-framing our thoughts... refocusing our attention and settling in for what could be a wait, but with a heart of anticipation as we know God always answers. I know they seem so close in wording... and i do think it's a fine line b/w the "expectantcy" and the "anticipating"... even when i looked them up in the dictionary their definitions even used the other word in it's definition. Language wise, they are practically the same in meaning and in the way you would use them.. nearly interchangable in nature.

However, it could just be me.... BUT... i hear a different connotation in them. Because of failed expectations, I think that very word; "expectation"... can have a negative connotation to it. With it comes a sense of "uncertainty" of what's to come... a realization that your wants/desires/ and hopes may never come to fruition. Disappointment seems to lurk behind expectant hopes.

As a people, though; I think we are by nature hopeful. We, by nature, long to see the best, hope for the best, and plan and dream for what seems out of reach. God gave in us, the unique ability to dream and to have visions of what could be... Perhaps that's why the phrase "Eagerly anticipate" rings so sweetly to my ears. It sounds as if I am in a state of being hopeful in a manner that is excited... in a way that shows childlike awe as I wait to see what it is that God wants to show me, unfold to me, surprise me with. It somehow holds less promise of disappointment. And it holds on to the promise that in TIME God's dream that HE placed in me, WILL come to fruition.

In my mind the timeline for eagerly anticipating seems imminent and yet long lasting... no time barriers...just waiting and wondering and accepting... It surely requires a better trained set of ears for listening and sitting with the Lord. I envision whispers of reassurance and encouragement from the Holy Spirit... "hold on daughter... great things are in store... the Father can't wait to see your face... His plan is good and it is eternal... it is beyond your dreams... just hang in there.. you're doing fine... ". It seems personal and intimate....just what i'm longing to share with my Savior.

Will you eagerly anticipate with me? Lets wake hopeful of what God can and will do in our hearts, in our marriages, in our children's lives, in our friendships, in our finances, in our quiet times, in our ministries, in our churches, in our thought lives, in our motives, in our words, in our actions, and in every area of our life that we have yet to surrender to Him...

Eagerly anticipating together... what could be better?