The Art of Anticipation

 One of the meanings found for anticipation is “Foretaste; previous view or impression of what is to happen afterward; as, the anticipation of the joys of heaven”. Anticipation is a present hope for what is to come. Its presence adds a bounce to our steps or gives the present moment a lift. It is like the aroma of food to the hungry. Anticipation is an attitude of heart of the one looking ahead in hope. It adds beauty and warmth to a home, whereas the cares of this life take them away. There is an art to learning how to change the ordinary, common task into something we look forward to. If we learn to anticipate each day as a gift that must be unwrapped, and willingly receive whatever it might hold, we will be graced with more treasures in learning than we could ever imagine. This does not guarantee that all will be easy, only that all is designed to work His good in us. If I anticipate a good meal, and find one that is overcooked, even then I still come away from this experience learning something.

The reason anticipation is an art is because it is not automatic. It takes work. Those who learn the artistry of it will eat its fruits. The anticipation I’m referring to is one that will produce hope for others, not expectations from them. Many a marriage suffers for the lack of it, and what was first love becomes lost. They lost it, because they were looking for how love should serve them, instead of serving from the overflowing love of Christ. Anticipation that walks with hope is never disappointed because it is the secret treasure of living by giving. God has prepared a feast of learning before us, and as we taste of His faithfulness, anticipation will become as natural as breathing and eating.