Anticipation

Anticipation -- to enjoy prematurely -- is certainly an essence of the human spirit that keeps us going.  Currently I'm anticipating a lot of things -- the warmth of the summer sun; the smell of gardenias; a warm, juicy tomato picked fresh from the vine; the clean smell of a thunderstorm; boogey-boarding at the beach (yes, I do that! and I'm pretty good at it, too!); putting up the pool splashing in it with our grandkids; the birth of grandchild number seven (due April 27); fresh-picked blueberries sprinkled on my morning bowl of cereal; sitting on the swing, enjoying the cool summer evenings; the scent of fresh-mown grass; flowers in bloom in the perennial bed; fresh squash, peas, lettuce, cucumbers, okra, beans and other vegetables from my garden; my list could go on and on and would certainly include retirement!  Everyone anticipates something at one point or another, and I believe anticipation is part of God's plan.  If we didn't have anything to look forward to, what would life be like?  I think it would be pretty disappointing and depressing.  Looking forward to the future gives us hope for a better tomorrow, better health, better attitude, and better life.  "Where there is no hope, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18)  God knows that we need hope, but at the same time, all we have is the moment that we're living.  We're not promised tomorrow; we're not promised an hour from now.  Yet hope is what keeps us going.  Hope and anticipation of future events give our lives focus.  We can't do anything about the future, but we can eagerly anticipate and embrace it as God's plan is revealed to us, day by day, moment by moment.  Embracing our moments is so much better than railing at God for what He brings our way.  Opportunity for growth comes with trials and challenges, but no one ever said life was easy -- it isn't!
So anticipate with joy and hope your future days and embrace every moment that you have because in the twinkling of an eye, the moment becomes the past. 

Is Anyone Out There?

I'm wondering if I should end this blog -- readership has dropped off considerably, so that tells me that my topics must not be very interesting, riveting, or noteworthy.  Comments are few, which doesn't create a flow of conversation and ideas between me and my readers.  Do you ever feel as if you're sending something into cyberspace and that no one cares?  I'm at that crossroads.  If you like my blog and want me to keep it up, please let me know.  Many things in life are for a season, and it might be the end of the season of my blog.  It's fun and I enjoy it, but with little feedback and hits (the records of which I can access), I'm discouraged.  I've never had grandiose ideas about thousands, or even hundreds, of people reading this, trust me, but it would be nice if readers would increase rather than decrease. 

So I'm going to give this about 2 weeks for people to respond -- hopefully I'll hear from you.  If this blog encourages you in the Word, in God, or in life, please let me know.  If just one person truly would hate to see me stop writing, that will be enough for me to keep going, but I won't know unless you tell me.

Looking forward to reading responses from my readers -- all of us need encouragement! 

It's an Uncertain World

As I write this, it has been less than 12 hours since the devastating historic earthquake and tsunami have hit Japan.  Seeing the extreme devastation and knowing that people had no way of escaping the crushing tidal wave causes me to pause.  Life is short.  Life is precious.  Life is unpredictable.  The world is an uncertain place.  Everything can change in a blink of an eye, in a split second.  As the hours pass, word will continue to trickle out of Japan as to the number of lives lost, but they are more than numbers -- they are people who lived, laughed, loved, and impacted the lives of others on a daily basis. 

To have survived the earthquake and the ensuing catastrophic tsunami is one thing, but to now deal with the aftermath is quite another.  Broken buildings, crushed homes, upheaved streets and roads, boats and debris piled high, bodies buried in the debris -- coping with this is another thing entirely.  People have nowhere to go to escape the devastation, no place to rest, eat, bathe, or simply sit down and feel safe as aftershocks are a constant reminder that the earth moves and there is nothing you can do about it.

I have readers in Japan, and I hope and earnestly pray that all is well with them and their loved ones.  As in many instances in life, survival depends on where you are when an event such as this occurs.  Every part of our world deals with some sort of threat of a natural disaster, some places moreso than others, and living in North Carolina gives us a sense of security in that we don't experience catastrophic events (at least, we haven't), but we have to deal with tornadoes, which come quickly, and hurricanes, but we can get out of the way of those.  I work in a 5-story building and have wondered what it would be like to have it shake violently, and I've decided that I don't want to know.  The videos I've seen from Japan are enough to quell my curiosity.  There are some things in life that I don't want to experience!

In our uncertain world, there is one thing that is certain -- God is still in control.  We are not guaranteed safety and shelter from the storms of life, but God is still in control.  We will all ultimately leave this world behind, and to know that God has prepared a place for those who are His gives us peace in times such as these.