Anticipation

 ANTICIPATION

This statue of a little girl sitting on a bench in the Great Hall of the Omaha Union Train Station captured my imagination.  The title of the statue is "Anticipation," which further intrigued me.  Here are some thoughts this sweet picture inspired in me.

So many hopes and dreams are wrapped up in that small nicely wrapped gift box nestled in the little girls hands.  The definition of "Gift," is - a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.  

Then, we have the idea of "Anticipation," which is defined as the act of looking forward with pleasurable expectation.

There are a number of things this little girl might be looking forward to as she waits in the train station -- who is she waiting for?  And, what is she carefully carrying as a gift for that person?  From her expression and body language, it looks like a positive outcome is anticipated.

As we travel through life, there are numerous events that we eagerly anticipate -- things that will bring lovely gifts into our lives.  With that in mind, I'm going to offer my own spin on this wonderful statue.  As you might imagine if you know me, I'm going to hone into a gift that brings along with it a great anticipation for something yet to come to us.  

The gift I speak of is the one that Jesus offers us -- a gift given willingly and without payment to us.  It's a free gift to us, but one He paid a great price to offer us.  For we know that, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights," James 1:17.

Jesus paid the ultimate price (His life) in order to offer us an eternal gift.  The gift in the little girl's hands is wrapped with a red ribbon.  Jesus' gift to us is wrapped with a red ribbon of blood that flowed from Him at His death when He made the payment for our sins.  That cleansing blood is memorialized in numerous songs. such as Power in the Blood, Nothing But the Blood, There is a Fountain, Are you Washed in the Blood, and a more recent song by Chris Tomlin, At the Cross - Love Ran Red.

The little girl anticipates giving the gift to someone she loves.  When we accept the gift of life given to us by the One who loves us, then, we can anticipate a whole new world opening up to us -- a world of hope and joy and peace, not to mention the promise of an eternal home in Paradise with God, for which we are "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" Titus 2:13.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15. 

Flipping this tableau to another angle, if you are a Believer, imagine yourself as this little girl.  We're waiting in this vast world for our beloved Savior to appear -- not from a train, but in the sky, calling us up to join Him.  He has promised He will come soon and we are anticipating His arrival.  As we wait, we are dressed in our best -- symbolizing our desire to do the best we can to faithfully live for Him as we await His return.  

And what about the gift?  We are carefully holding the gift of our love and the works we have done for Him, all tied up with the red ribbon of His shed blood which made it possible.  This gift is comprised of the acts of kindness and obedience and ministry that we have done through the power of the Spirit and in the name of our Holy Lord.  We will lay this gift at His feet in thanksgiving as we worship Him on that great day.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope," Psalm 130:5.

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit," Romans 15:13.

Note about the Artist of this Beautiful Statue:

Omaha artist John Lajba created more than a dozen life-size sculptures for specific spots in the Great Hall of Omaha Union Station.  The station closed to trains in 1971 and Lajba's first statue was completed in mid-1990s.  The statue of the little girl was added in December 2012. 

Behold His Beautiful Creation

 

BEHOLD HIS BEAUTIFUL CREATION

   These delicate pale purple wisteria blossoms hanging elegantly down over a rough wooden fence create a beautiful picture fashioned by our heavenly Father - "He has made everything beautiful in its time..." Ecclesiastes 3:11.

                      The Lily, by William Blake

                The Lily white, and the Rose red

                Are pale in the sight of God,

                For His love is pure and rare,

                And His spirit is in every flower.

            Awestruck by the Sight, by Catherine Pulsifer

            Walking through a garden,
            I am awestruck by the sight,
            The beauty here is unmatched,
            And I bask in its light.

            The colors are so vibrant,
            And the flora abound,
            Each petal perfect and shining;
            It's breathtaking to gaze around.

            I'm reminded that this beauty
            Isn't by random chance:
            God's creativity has created
            This garden of grand splendor at glance!

            God's Garden - by Robert Frost

            God made a beauteous garden
            With lovely flowers strown,
            But one straight, narrow pathway
            That was not overgrown.
            And to this beauteous garden
            He brought mankind to live,
            And said "To you, my children,
            These lovely flowers I give.
            Prune ye my vines and fig trees,
            With care my flowers tend,
            But keep the pathway open
            Your home is at the end.

    

    The flower photos in this post were all taken by me in Williamsburg when we visited there a few weeks ago.  They all fall under the truth we find in Psalm 104:24 & 31:  "O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions...May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works."

    As I stood in front of the pretty pink blossoms of the dogwood tree, I felt the joy of God's amazing creation surrounding me.  We are so blessed that He created such a beautiful world for us to enjoy!

        "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

                                                    Psalm 103:1

Umbrella Street

 

   The first glimpse of Umbrella Street brought a smile to my face -- how could it not?!  This whimsical, colorful work of art suspended above the street is delightful!

    My husband and I visited Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic last month and joined the many tourists walking down this unique street.  I remembered a song I've sung in church that is taken from Psalm 121, "The Lord is your shade at your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night," verses 5-6.

     Although these umbrellas are too high above and spread too far apart to provide much shade or protection from the rain, they still offer some shade and protection.  And - their purpose goes beyond shade and protection, into bringing joy to those who see them.

     

      Once again, I think of our Lord Who, not only offers us both shade and protection, but joy as well.  We know He is our shade, but we also find protection when we abide in Him:  "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust,'" Psalm 91:1-2.

      Our Lord also promises us joy in His presence: "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy," Psalm 16:11, and Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and your joy may be full," John 15:11.

      I love that God offers us spiritual messages in the world around us if we will just see them and recognize them as gifts from our loving Father. to remind us, "I am with you always," Matthew 28:20.

Christ Our Redeemer

    If you look carefully, you'll see what looks like a cross at the top of the 2,624 feet Isabel de Torres Hill in the Dominican Republic.  Actually, it's a 98 feet statue of Christ the Redeemer with His arms outstretched (a whopping 92 feet stretch).

        My husband and I recently visited the island and enjoyed a trip up the mountain.  Views from the top of the hill - and from the vantage point of the statue of Jesus reveal the sprawling city of Puerto Plata - and beyond.  I wonder what the living Jesus sees as He looks out over this view?

    As I view the scene, everything is so tiny - buildings look like white dots on a page and the massive ship we're cruising on (a bigger white dot in the top middle) looks like a hyphen.  

    And, what does the living Jesus see as He looks at this scene?  He sees every single person and knows the joys and sorrows being felt by everyone of those souls.  He knows their past from before conception and He knows their future into eternity.  He holds their every breath within His hands.  His heart of love seeks a relationship with each and every one of those hundreds of thousands of people somewhere deep in this picture.  How amazing is that!!

    Scripture tells us, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good," Proverbs 15:3.

     "'Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?' says the Lord; 'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the Lord," Jeremiah 23:24.

     "O Lord, You have searched me and known me, You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.  You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways...Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it," Psalm 139:1-3, 6.

    It is said that the population of this earth on which we reside is over 8 billion people.  I can't even comprehend that number which, by the way, changes each second with births and deaths happening at an astounding rate.  But -- THE almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of it all, knows every heartbeat intimately.  He sees every thought and He loves every person with an everlasting love.  That's another thing I can't comprehend -- it's far too large and grand for my finite mind to even imagine.

    How infinitely thankful I am that this Great God is my loving Father, my sweet Redeemer, and my indwelling Holy Spirit!  I am one of those 8 billion plus souls that He knows intimately and loves fully.  

     You too are one of those 8 billion plus souls -- have you asked this Great God to be your Redeemer?  He invites you to accept His gift of life through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and to become His beloved child.  This too, is beyond our comprehension, but praise God, it's an absolute truth.

     "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us," Romans 5:8.

     In Isaiah 55:8-9, we're told, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'"