Anticipation

You must have figured it out by now. Depending on where you live, it may be old news, but if your area is like mine, you’re still waiting anxiously for it. Regardless of the frigid temps and the late season snow, it is a fact. Spring is on its way. I do believe that, and I look forward to the warmer temperatures. I eagerly anticipate not having to dress in layers, and the end of weeks without a hint of sunshine. I’m ready to open my windows and let the fresh air in—but am I excited? No. Not me. I’ve already seen people wearing summer clothes while I stood there in a hat and coat. They’re tired of winter, and they want spring to come, but wearing fewer clothes won’t bring spring on any sooner. I can’t be taken in that easily. I know that even though the calendar says spring is only days away, winter has a way of hanging on. I’ve been disappointed too many times in the past. Just when I relent and put the screens in the storm doors, the temperature drops like a rock. No, thank you. My heavy sweaters aren’t going into storage yet. My flannel sheets are staying right were they are until I see robins courting and flowers blooming. It’s not that I’m in denial. I will be ready when the seasons change. There’s plenty to do while I wait. My capris are easily accessible, but I may just go shopping for a new spring outfit or two. My to-do list grows every day. The yard work is already calling my name, and I’ll enjoy doing that—when the weather breaks. God is the only one that truly knows when we can expect the end of the harsh winter weather. He’s the one that created the seasons, and He’s the one that controls the weather. There’s another event in the offing that I am eagerly anticipating. Someday soon, Jesus will return to take his children home. There will be no more hardships or disappointments. Every tear will be wiped away. We’ll be in His glorious presence, praising and worshipping Him. What a day that will be! Surely, that is something to be excited about. Wishing for it, waiting to be swept up into the air, might seem like the thing to do, but it’s not the best idea. We can’t know when that day will come. God is the only one who knows. Until it happens, though, our duty is to prepare by following His to-do list: confessing and forsaking our sins daily; living sacrificial and responsible lives that draw others to Him; and reaching out to the lost so that they, too, can make that trip. How foolish it would be to delay preparations for such an eternal event. How awful to think that some are missing because we were dwelling solely on the event, with no thought of that to-do list.