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.