Bugs. Anticipation.

Here’s what I hate: bugs.

Especially large, flying red-eyed bugs by the tens of thousands. Yep, apparently, Tennessee is due for an invasion of the Brood XIX, a species of giant cicada which only emerge in this area every 13 years. Everyone who was here for the last infestation is telling me about it. The giant winged creatures are everywhere—they fly at your head and crunch beneath your feet. One friend tells me that during the 1998 invasion, when she would go out to get the mail, she’d wear a bed sheet over her head and bring a dust pan with her to swat the insects away. (I’ll probably be seen in the same getup when I have to live through this.) Does this sound like a plague or what!? The Cicadas are due to emerge sometime this month! I’ve known about this for a week or two and have been living in dread at the thought of swarms of insects hanging around, coating the ground and trees for who-knows-how-long. I am seriously praying that they delay their emergence until after our friend’s outdoor wedding reception on May 14th—can you imagine!?

Here’s what I love: anticipation.

Last night, we were having a little neighborhood get-together in our back yard. We told our girls what time the guests (and all their children) would be arriving. As we ate dinner, our eldest watched the clock. As the time grew near, they asked to be excused, quickly carried their dinner dishes, and bolted to the front window to see if anyone was arriving. They then changed their lookout location to the side gate so that they could beckon people to the backyard for the party. Waiting for guests to arrive is always thrilling. Unlike the dread of waiting for Cicadas to emerge, waiting for someone you love to arrive is enjoyable…as long as they aren’t too late…

Last Friday morning, I turned on the TV and my girls and I sat down on the edge of the coffee table so that we could have a front row seat to see the revealing of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. The waiting seemed endless as car after car pulled up to Westminster Abbey and let out the various members of the Royal Family and guests. Finally, what was presumed to be Kate’s car was making it’s way down the road. Cameramen caught a glimpse of the passenger—it was the Bride! I gasped in delight at the quick look at the lace sleeves of her dress. By the time the car FINALLY pulled up to the Abbey I could hardly wait for her to step out of that car so that I could see the dress in it’s entirety. There she stood, the layers of fabric flowing down behind her. The veil fell sheer and elegantly in front of her face. The understated, brilliant tiara rested gracefully upon her head. The crowd roared, my girls and I squealed! THIS was what we had been waiting for!

Anticipation is defined as

1. The action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction

an expectation…anticipating with confidence of fulfillment

2. [in music,] The introduction in a composition of part of a chord that is about to follow in full

I am living in anticipation of something wonderful. Looking with confidence for its fulfillment, I have in my heart, a tune which is like part of a chord that is about to follow in full. Way better than bugs or party guests or even wedding dresses—Christ is coming back!

Imagine if during Kate’s ride towards the Abbey, Prince William had texted her saying: “Darling, I have some family business to attend to. Need to work on some renovations to our future palace home. Be back soon! Love you!” Suddenly the guests are less anxious about that first glimpse of the bride’s glorious wedding dress, and more about looking for the groom’s return. Oh, and he will return, we know that for certain.

Matthew 24:30 says that the Son of Man will come on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. I am looking up at a cloudless blue sky today. Surely, He won’t come today, but we don’t know for sure when He will return. Therefore, Jesus told us to be on the alert. Jesus lists the alternative for being on the alert as being asleep. I don’t think that I am supposed to now avoid going to bed at night. Instead, I need to be spiritually alert and alive! Like my girls who are checking the clock and looking out the windows to see if our party guests are arriving, excitement is the key. When you are expecting someone, they are in the forefront of your mind. If it’s someone you love, your heart may beat a little faster at the thought of getting to greet them with a hug and look into their eyes.

For now, I pour over His love letter to me and read His promise to return. Instead of letting my heart sleep, I choose to be alert. I allow my soul to revel in the thrill of my Groom’s forthcoming return. Joyfully, I look out the windows. Excitedly, I think of seeing Him come for me. Now, that’s anticipation!