Anticipation

Teavana tea is my guilty indulgence. I love tea. Teavana is my favorite so I ordered some on Cyber Monday. I carefully selected my teas (and got a great deal, by the way) and started dreaming about enjoying my tea once it arrived.

Well, it took Teavana two full days to process my order and another four days to ship it. During my time of waiting I had this excitement about my coming package. I waited with great anticipation of the arrival of my tea.

I stalked my email to see if I had received a notification that my order had shipped. When the notification finally came I started to track the package… several times a day. I wanted to know exactly where my tea was and when it would arrive.

On the estimated day of delivery I tracked my package first thing in the morning. I just couldn’t wait. When I got home from work the tea was sitting on my porch. I smiled as I took the package inside. I enjoyed every second of opening the box and looking through its contents.

I am glad to have my tea (it’s my favorite), but I miss that sense of eager anticipation. I miss the feeling of knowing that something good is coming. I miss having something to look forward to.

As I think about this Christmas season, I think about all the years that the people of Israel waited for the Messiah. The scriptures are full of prophecies about his coming. I’m sure that people looked everywhere to see if there were any signs of his arrival.

I think of Mary as she awaited the birth of Christ. The angel told her that she would bear a son, the savior. Still, she had to wait nine whole months for him to be born. I’m sure she dreamed of holding him and playing with him and raising him. Then she anticipated him growing into a man and saving his people.

When Jesus was being presented at the Temple, Mary and Joseph met a prophetess named Anna. This is what the scriptures say about Anna and her reaction to Jesus:

 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38)

 She, like so many others, eagerly awaited the arrival of the Messiah. She lived in anticipation and she was full of thanksgiving when she saw her hopes come to fruition.

When I hear these stories I think about my own life. God has made some incredible promises to me about my life. He has spoken to me about calling and family and destiny. Though I really hate the waiting, I have to admit that I feel a great sense of anticipation about the things that God has promised. There is something about the anticipation of something good that really makes the time of waiting much more bearable. When I get weary in waiting, it is the anticipation of something good that sustains me.

As we experience this season of Advent, let us remember the anticipation of all who awaited the birth of Christ. Let us celebrate the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams.

Let us also wait with great anticipation for the things God has spoken to us, looking forward to good things and the fulfillment of God’s promises.