Anticipation

My fondest childhood memories include adventures my sister and I spent with my cousins. We were very close in age to our two cousins. We spent many play dates together and were basically like sisters. The four of us girls were inseparable. Our time spent together was filled with imaginative games of lost kingdoms and princess warriors, exploring the woods and making mud pies, playing barbies and telling secrets, and always, always laughing until our bellies hurt. The hours of play seemed to flash by in a blink. We would cry when either of us had to leave, begging our parents for “Just one more hour.” One day, we thought we could trick our parents and change all of the clocks back two hours. My eldest cousin and I conspired together, and our plan was going so well until we met the challenge of the oven clock. How do we do this one!? We pressed a few buttons, beep, beep. Shhhhhh! Maybe we can unplug it? As we struggled with the oven, our mother's heard the beeping sounds and came to the kitchen. With disappointed faces and resentful hearts, we confessed our plans. Although this day involved our troublemaker planning and discipline from our mothers after they learned of our plan, I remember this day with fondness because of the desire to have just a little bit more time with my beloved cousins.
This morning in my devotion, I read Isaiah 9, which discusses the promise of Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind. The devotion read, "Have you ever waited for a promise?" Instantly, I thought of waiting to spend time with my cousins. The word promise means, "A declaration or assurance one will do a particular thing or something will happen." How wonderful the feeling of anticipation thinking of a promise to come. Just like waiting to play with my cousins, I felt like time could not pass quickly enough and like I would do anything just to spend time with them. As I read Scripture, I am reminded of the promise for believers: a gift of eternal life in Heaven. Just as I held such great anticipation for the promise of seeing my cousins, I can hold the same feelings for the second coming of Christ. This promise grants me to hope to persevere and the strength to keep my sights on the truly important values in my life. I remember to, "Fix [my] eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)