Expecting...Song/People Get Ready

I have now taken to leaving my cell phone on during dinner with a friend. Something I never do. I let it sit on my lap Sunday with it on vibrate as I watched Prince Caspian, while eating popcorn and drinking a Coca-Cola. Another thing I never do. I have not however kept it out during church, but not for reasons that you might think. No, honestly, if my sister-in-law didn't sit next to me during church, I'd have it on my lap during church too. Why? Because any day now my new niece Georgia is going to make her appearance. So, I've been trying to work really hard and now I've got to get my dogs a bath and get the house cleaned up, and I've got to get the upstairs bedroom ready for my mom and dad because any day now I'm going to be called to meet Damon and Sarah at the hospital and await the arrival of a new part of our family.

I told my mother the other day it's like waiting on Christmas, except you have no idea when Christmas actually is! I remember those December months as a little girl trying to wish away 25 days so Santa Clause could arrive. And) now, I'm wishing away the entire month of May so Baby Georgia can show up. I have two other nephews and three nieces. I was in the room for the birth of two nieces holding the video camera. I'm the only one you can hear when you play back the video. Through my crying you can briefly make out a, "She's so beautiful!"

(Christmas 1976-Me and my older brother Darren- yes boys wore those shirts back then...


I was thinking this week though as I was driving in my car how God wants me to be just as excited expecting Him. I've been doing a study on the Book of Daniel and also reading a great new book called Dead Heat about end time events and all of it has my mind thumbing through the events were living in and wondering when Jesus may come back.

When I was little I use to go to the altar every Sunday night at my dad's church and pray that Jesus would come back before I had to go to school on Monday morning. But he never did. Back then if you would have told me that I would have lived this long I wouldn't have believed you. I was certain he'd come back before I could get married and have sex. And even though I wanted him to come back before school on Monday I didn't want him coming back before those two events. Not sure how I expected all of that to happen.

As I look now at the "groanings" of a tired earth, I think back on that scripture that says, "The earth groans for his return." And I think of how they haven't forgotten their Creator. Like the old hymn, Be Still My Soul says, "the waves and winds still know, they still know, His voice who ruled them, while He dwelt below." The earth is tired. They are ready for their Creator to return and make them new again, so they groan. They groan with earthquakes and tremblings. And they ask Him to return.

And on days my heart groans too. On the days when I see a brilliant sunset, my eyes began to fill with tears and I wonder if this could be the moment? Will He step out on that? And some days I'm doing nothing but the normal. I may be sitting on the sofa, or putting dishes in the dishwasher and my heart groans. Asking, "When are you coming back?"

But expecting...do I live expecting? Do I make the most of every moment as I'm waiting for that which my heart knows will come? Am I getting my own house in order so that when He comes back for a Bride without spot or blemish, will I be spic and span? Am I living preparing myself and others for this moment that I've longed for since I left heaven the day I arrived here on earth.

I honestly believe that right before Georgia makes her entry she'll have one last talk with her Father in Heaven. And He'll ask her to not quit expecting Him. That even though she has to leave him for a time, be expecting because He's going to come back and get her. Maybe it is that knowledge and that knowledge alone that even gets us here. Why would we want to leave heaven to come to the confines of a chaotic earth? The only reason I think that would do is that written on our hearts is the knowledge that He's coming back for us...and with that kind of expectation we can get through our season here.

I'll let you know when she arrives. And when she does I'm going to ask her how things were back at home. Hopefully since she just left she'll have a pretty good memory of it.