When I was a kid, I spent hours poring over the Sears Christmas Wish Book, marking all the important pages.
I can still see the blue and yellow remote-controlled airplane that I wanted so badly. I spent hours staring at the Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys trying to decide whether I liked the blue or the white ones better. I read the description of the Electronic Quarterback video game so many times that I could probably repeat it word for word. I dreamed about having a real Cooper goalie mask.
My mom was great, and we got a lot of the things we wanted. In fact, I have two Maple Leafs jerseys, one white and one blue, and my old Electronic Quarterback game in a box at my house. My goalie mask hangs on the wall in my garage right now. Getting those presents meant a lot to me, but I realize now that part of the fun was in the anticipation.
Had we gone to the store and bought what we wanted, we would have still been thankful, but there was fun in the waiting. Part of the joy of the gift was in the dreaming about it. Now that I am older, I realize that anticipation works the other way, as well.
This year, due to the pandemic, Sara and I started our shopping early and now we have a pile of gifts sitting on the bed in our guest room. None of them are very expensive, but we hope all of them will mean something to those who receive them. Every time I see that pile of stuff, I smile. The anticipation of giving a gift is just as much fun as the anticipation of receiving one.
The truth is that we all need something to look forward to and we need to believe that good things are coming. We need to be able to hope and dream. Anticipation and expectation allow us to keep going even when times are hard.
I hope that you can count your blessings and keep looking forward.
God is not done with us yet.
“If you… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)
