My husband and I once attended a Mississippi Christian Writers’ Association workshop. One of the activities of the day was an opportunity to draw four random words from a basket and come up with a short story or topic within a set time period. It was a very challenging and fun activity for me; and to be honest, I didn’t do so well during the first morning session. My brain completely froze over, and the gears seemed to stop working. But by the afternoon session, the gears had thawed; and as I looked at the four words I had in my hand, the following short story flowed easily from my pen to the paper. I’d like to share it with you. My words to work with were “white,” “bubblegum,” “Mississippi,” and “elephant.”
The Story
“The heat of the late afternoon sun hung heavily in the simple brick room. The lone fan slowly turning above the young nurse’s head seemed to merely stir the heat rather than dissipate it. The long, arduous day of vaccinating the young children of the small African village had been a challenge for the new missions nurse from Mississippi. Her eager smile that had shone so brightly earlier in the morning had now faded into a tired grin as she gave the final injection into the upper arm of the squirming child held firmly in the lap of his mother. Jane reached into the pocket of her white scrub top and produced the promised piece of bubblegum to her young patient. A quick hug goodbye ended her long first shift. The screen door slammed with finality as the mother and boy left.
“Jane quickly finished her charting; cleaned the small, sparsely furnished clinic; and locked the door behind her. The evening sun was just beginning to set while she walked the narrow, beaten path to her waiting Jeep. As she rounded the little curve behind the clinic, she suddenly jolted and stopped dead in her tracks.
“Staring in awe, unable to move, Jane beheld an enormous, gray elephant standing ever so calmly beside her tiny Jeep, flapping ears as large as windows in the Savannah heat. A weathered, wrinkled face studied her. A long trunk that hung between two massive tusks of ivory slowly swung up as to point a silent greeting to her disbelieving eyes. Jane’s heart was pounding in her chest. Her respirations were coming in labored, quick gasps. Her mouth instantly dried upon trying to form the words needed to call for help, even though Jane was having a difficult time remembering how to do so in the first place. There they stood in silence, the small missions nurse and the gigantic elephant, each eyeing the other and taking in every detail, each anticipating the other’s next move.”
I was a young fifth grader when I first heard the Kelley Huff song that taught me the definition of the word “anticipation.” However, I wouldn’t fully come to appreciate the meaning of the word until many years later as an adult.
“Regard as probable; expect or predict…Guess or be aware of (what will happen) and take action in order to be prepared…Look forward to.”
“Anticipate.” https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anticipate. English by Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2018.
Expect or Predict
How wonderful it would be if we were able to expect and predict those seemingly endless curve balls we’re thrown in the game of life! Underneath my outer, compassionate, nurturing, extremely emotional personality beats the heart of a natural leader who loves organization and preparedness (believe it or not). I know this will come as a shock to some who know me, but I love to be prepared. Navigating the uncharted regions of life can completely upset my little world. The more details I have in advance, the better I can withstand change, which I personally detest. That’s why it’s so hard for me to have confidence in the face of the unknown. That’s why I am a natural skeptic at heart. It takes a lot to win my trust and even more to get it back if broken. Faith is a big deal for people like me.
Take Action
One thing I love about the definition of anticipation is the part that says to “take action in order to be prepared.” Anticipation is not simply a passive thought; anticipation requires effort. The children of Israel were told to have their meal eaten, their staff in their hand, and shoes on their feet during that first Passover. They were anticipating something. They didn’t know what exactly, but they were ready when their deliverance came (Exodus 12). Anticipation made Elijah send a servant to look for a sign in the sky seven times before it was ever seen (1 Kings 18). When the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom marched together against the king of Moab and were parched in the desert, God told Elisha to tell them to dig some ditches in preparation for the water that would ultimately save them. That took some effort; but without it, they would never have received their life-sustaining blessing (2 Kings 3). That’s three quick references in the Old Testament alone on how anticipation required some effort. The Bible is full of such examples. Put some action into your anticipation the next time you’re waiting on God for a move in your life!
Look Forward To
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
Oh, how I love this verse! We can’t even begin to anticipate the things that God has in store for us. The Word tells us that He orders the steps of a righteous man (Psalms 37:23). When we don’t know what to expect, the one thing we can expect is that God always has been, is still, and will always be in control if we’ve placed our lives in His hands.
I’ll close with the words to an unfinished song the Lord gave me many years ago… “In this ever-changing world I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I’m glad that I know the one who holds tomorrow.”