The Anticipator

So I was blessed to serve at a women's retreat recently and one of the requirements of this particular event is if your married the husband has to go through the retreat first then the wife the following weekend.

I was standing behind a young couple that caught my eye. The husband had his arm around his young bride with an excitement I could feel 2 rows away. He had this huge smile on his face and was looking at her with such anticipation for her coming weekend.

The wife on the other hand appeared annoyed by his constant speechless cheering. Her body language was stiff and pretty much saying go away. He kept trying to make eye contact with her to no avail.

In spite of her apparent rejection he seemed clueless. (I'm going to leave that comment alone)

He continued looking at her so lovingly and even attempted a few quick kisses which apparently annoyed her even more.

In all fairness to our young couple the husband was excited because he had experienced the retreat and knew what his bride was in for. His life had been radically changed by his time with Jesus and he couldn't wait for her to feel the same way.

But for now it caused a gap between them instead of bringing them closer together.

A few rows up however was a very different scene.

Another couple, further down in their walk with the Lord, were arm and arm in a very united embrace. 

They were both excited as they had been through the weekend and knew how much the things they learned enhanced their relationship.

They chatted and laughed and had huge smiles on their faces that were infectious. They too slipped in a few kisses but it was definitely a mutual embrace.

They shared the joy and anticipation for the women getting ready to experience their retreat.

It was at this point the Holy Spirit spoke again. He said if new couples started off their relationship with me and truly made me the foundation of their lives they can be years down the road with all of life's challenges and still look like the 2nd couple. 

If they encounter me on a regular basis they will anticipate great things when they know we are going to spend alone time together. He said it's never too late to begin this kind of relationship. It can start at any age it just has to be a mutual decision.

How encouraging is that and yet I thought of so many married couples I know, Christian and non Christian that NEVER have anything good to say about their spouse.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that if a spouse, boyfriend, family member or friend spends time with the Lord and the other doesn't it will inevitably cause distance between them.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

One will anticipate spending time with the Lord and the other will not. The Lord can almost become a rivalry in the marriage or relationship.

The question it posed for me as a person, single or married is do I consistently anticipate the Holy Spirit?

There's a woman that worships at my church. I don't know her personally but from what I've observed I can tell she loves the Lord. She genuinely loves God's people and has a servant heart. She loves to praise and pray but in spite of all these admirable qualities, I cannot sit near her.

Why? Because she is a word anticipator.

You know the type, they anticipate what your going to say and say it with you. Maybe a word here or there would be OK but she anticipates entire sentences! I have trouble focusing on the sermon because I hear her talking with the speaker and sometimes she get's the word wrong but just keeps going. That Gems is just plain distracting for this attention deficit person.

This week I sat down forgetting about the anticipator and then there she was right in front of me. Great...

Once again the Lord spoke to me. What if you were so engaged in what I had to say that you anticipated my every word. OUCH! Do I sit on the corner of my seat not wanting to miss a thing?

Do I anticipate hearing from the Lord that way?

These are some of the definitions of anticipate:

to expect; look forward to;

Do we look forward to spending time in the word? 

Do we get to church early so we are ready for the message?

 

to perform (an action) before another has had time to act.

Do we hear someone start a scripture and finish it with them?

Do we jump into serve before we are asked?

Do we steal away personal moments like spiritual hugs and kisses with our God?

to answer (a question), obey (a command), or satisfy (a request) before it is made:

Do I anticipate the assignment the Lord has for me each day?

Do I do the right thing before the Holy Spirit has to convict me to do it?

I pray my spiritual life will not become robotic and terminate my desire for Jesus. I pray to look less like the terminator and more like the Anticipator!