We are returning to 301 ElCano Drive to worship at Mountainside Church Easter Sunday

A Tightness Within

As seen in the Village voice and the HEARTBeat

A Tightness Within

 

            Anticipation can come in many forms and can lead to a variety of emotions.  Waiting on the birth of a child or a grandchild is a wonderful moment of anticipation.  Those are the grand moments we experience few times in our lives, less than most.  It is during those anticipatory moments which we know will turn out great that leave wonderful, lasting memories.

            We’ve all seen the videos of a young child with their faces pressed to the glass in an airport waiting on a plane.  And not just any plane, but the one that is bringing a parent who has been deployed overseas and away from the family for a long period of time.  Ask that child to have a seat and to sit still is an impossibility!  They jump at the sight of any landing airliner and ask, “Is that the one?”  Eventually the answer is “yes” and they can no longer hold their excitement inside.  And when they see their mom or dad coming down the hallway in their uniform, nothing or nobody can stand in their way as they run and jump into their arms.  Watching these videos causes my heart to swell and a tear in my eye.  It is the best example of pure exhilaration.

            But what if the impending event an unwelcomed one?  Maybe one of sitting in a hospital waiting room while a spouse, a parent, or a child is undergoing emergency surgery.  The knots in the pit of your stomach consume you to the point of making it hard to breathe.  Then the doctor appears and the knots in your stomach turn to a lump in your throat as you wait for the words from the surgeon.

            Anticipation can elicit wonderful feelings or those we would rather not feel.  As Christians, we should feel wonderful anticipation every day, wondering if today will be the day when cars will be left running in the driveway, office chairs will be suddenly empty, or golf clubs left in the middle of the fairway at the blink of an eye.  Yes, all of this and more will occur when God decides it’s time for Jesus to return and call all His family members to Himself.  Our aches and pains will be gone, the worries of this world will wash away, and we will go to a place Jesus has built specifically for us.  We should be like the child with its face pressed against the glass asking our Heavenly Father, “Is it today?”

            Getting wrapped up in the worries of this world will do nothing but cause a great deal of negative anticipation, which will lead to anxiety, fear, and excessive worry.  All of these and more will have detrimental effect on our health, our relationships, and especially our relationship with our Heavenly Father!  Easier said than done, right?

            If we keep our eyes on Jesus, all the cares of this world won’t disappear but they will suddenly blur to the background.  God does not want anything to come between us and His wonderful grace.  Let Him take those away from you as you prayerful ask in anticipation, “Is it today, Father?”

 

  Mountainside Church · 301 Elcano Drive
Hot Springs Village · AR 71909

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