Anticipation
“Anticipation. Anticipation is making me late. Is keeping me waiting.” ~ Carly Simon
Admit it. If you’re like me, you’re singing that classic Carly Simon song in your head right now. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, it fits in with the season that we begin today: Advent. Advent is all about anticipation.
What do we do when we anticipate something? For myself, I can tell you that I anticipate going on cruises and going to Disney World each year. As those events near, the anticipation ramps. I have lists of things that I need to do in order to be ready for those trips.
If it is a Disney Vacation, I make airline reservations five months in advance and, 60 days out, I go online to make dining reservations. Some of the places I enjoy book up rather early. If I don’t make the reservation as soon as I am allowed, I might not get in. So, when New Year’s comes around, I am ready for my vacation.
If I am going on a cruise, there are several things to do. If traveling to Europe, I need to purchase Euros. I need to make sure my passport is current. As the cruise gets closer, I need to make reservations to see some of the shows onboard that book up quickly. I might also make reservations to dine in a specialty restaurant as well. All these things need to be done long before boarding the ship.
We are anticipating something HUGE in Advent. It’s more than a cruise or a trip to Disney. It’s more than anything else we may regularly plan.
Not only do we anticipate the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, we also remind ourselves that He will come again in all of His glory. We must be ready for that second coming of Jesus lest we find ourselves left behind.
Therefore, we use the days and weeks of Advent to prepare, just as we would for a cruise or any other type of vacation. We make sure our passport is in order by examining our prayer lives. We make sure that reservations are made by living as faith-filled lives as possible.
If all of that is accomplished, we will have much less reason to fear and much more reason to celebrate the hope of the season.
FAITH ACTION: Just as you would prepare for a trip, plan out the next weeks of Advent. Make an Advent wreath or a Jesse Tree or just promise yourself to spend more time in prayer each day focusing upon what is to come.