Live It Articles Expect the Unexpected

My wife accuses me of not "anticipating" when I am driving.  As a matter of fact, she has decided that it is a male trait. By this, she means that men drive too aggressively and do not allow for the unexpected. We race toward a green light assuming it will still be green and then slam on the brakes when it is red. We zip through crowded freeways as though the opening ahead will be ours for the taking when we jerk into the slot.  These are, of course, the observations of an overly cautious female and not an accurate observation of masculine "drive and conquer" tactics.

BUT - it they were accurate, they could serve as an illustration of life.
That illustration is that there is a time and a way for anticipation to be part of our life.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, he was buried and his cave-like tomb was sealed with a large stone that was rolled in front of the opening. His followers were in grief, shock and fear. Many of them were in hiding. Several of the women disciples came early on the third day to give the body of Jesus a proper burial. They had the ointments, linens and other things necessary to do this service.

"Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" Mark 16:2-3

The women made plans based on what they thought the situation was going to be.  They were wrong - they had expected too little!

As we look forward to the fall season, we may have expectations of what is to come. For those impacted by school calendars and events, there may be the idea that it will be very much like past semesters. For others, it may be just another change of seasons. There may be plans based on what is "thought" to lie ahead, but have we left room for something bigger?

ANTICIPATION

1. Prepare for what we think might be ahead.

• Learn from our past mistakes. [Avoid situations that encourage failure; don't put us in settings where temptations are greater than our resolve.   Work the plan and the plan will work.]
• Include what worked in the past [stay disciplined in the areas of our life that have benefited us--like daily spiritual reflections, taking care of ourselves physically, surrounding ourselves with encouragers, and giving ourselves away in meaningful ways.]

2. Don't miss today.

• There are opportunities in the present and not just in the future. Look for opportunities to succeed, even in little things; measure success in personal goals and in relationships by the step and not by the mile.
• Live a life of gratitude. God will use our every circumstance to advance His Kingdom if we will let him use us in every situation. "In all things give thanks..." I Thess. 5:18

3. Expect the unexpected.

• Our best-made plans cannot anticipate every situation. Our plans are maps to a destination and not the destination. We need to be flexible when things go wrong or when better options come our way. God's ways are not our ways - Isaiah 55:8. If we get too bound by our plans, we may miss out on Gods best for us and opportunities to learn from or bless others.

And the story does not end with the women holding a funeral basket at a sealed tomb:

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.'

Anticipate with care and diligence...
But expect the unexpected!

Dr. Bill Heston
University Chaplain,
Howard Payne University
Brownwood, Texas


Dr. William Heston was minister of pastoral care at Houston's First Baptist Church; clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and a marriage therapist licensed by the state of Texas. He has also led seminars at First Place Conferences.