Do you get up in the morning expecting or dreading? One dictionary describes expectation as eager anticipation, as in eyes shining with expectation, especially of success or gain. The person who is filled with expectation is excited, ready to face the day with anticipation of all that it has in store.
Dread, on the other hand, happens when we anticipate with alarm, distaste, or reluctance. It denotes profound fear or terror. It also speaks of anticipation but fearful anticipation, like a visit with the school principal or the diagnosis of a life altering disease.
Placing our feet on the floor in the morning with dread would make one want to remain encased in the blankets that have cocooned us all night, to never get up again. But when life is filled with expectation, it’s as if we can’t wait for another day to start. We rush through our early morning preparations with an ‘I can’t wait’ attitude.
That’s what God wants us to feel like every morning of our lives. He wants us to look for those special appointments He has planned for us, opportunities to pray with people, to serve those whom He places in our path that day. In Acts 5, verse 15, Paul recounts what happened when the apostle Peter walked among the people. “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.”
Peter anticipated with expectation. He was prepared to serve, to heal, to pray for God’s intervention in the lives of the people he encountered that day. And because he walked with expectation, no one took him by surprise. I am sure he was excited to see God work through him, who wouldn’t be, but he did not fear the outcome.
Can you imagine what your life would be like, how it would change, if you woke with expectation, excited to see how God was going to use you this day? Each minute, while conducting the everyday, mundane tasks before you, you’d be filled with sensitivity to those around you in ways that would let them know they were special to you. How can you help him or her and how can you share God’s love in this situation.
Jump out of bed tomorrow, filled with the expectation that Peter must have felt. How is God going to touch people through you or who is He going to bring across your path who needs a word of encouragement. Anticipate, don’t dread and see how different life will be … for you and those around you.
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