Crashing like a tidal wave

Do you find yourself always looking forward to something? Maybe you woke up this morning thinking, "LOST and American Idol tonight!" (then you were crushed when you found out LOST is a ANOTHER STINKING RERUN). Perhaps you thought, "Hump day! Only two more get-ups til the weekend!". Then the bigger picture... if you have some Seahawks love then it's fair to assume you are thinking about the big game on Sunday. The win a week and a half ago was nice, but that's done. Now we're just getting through the next 4 days, right?

I spent most of my life this way, always looking forward to the "next big thing". Our society is partially responsible for this. We grow up excited to finally start school. Can't wait to lose our first tooth. Then, school itself isn't enough and we want to be the oldest in our school. Then of course, we don't really enjoy sixth grade for the sake of sixth grade- we're too excited to get to go on to middle school. Then it's high school. Then, of course, it's just about not being freshmen. Then getting a license, going to our first prom, turning 18 and being able to vote (or smoke cigarettes legally). Leaving for college, or at least getting out of the parents' house. Then it's 21, being able to drink (legally), go to Vegas and play slots, whatever.

Next we "can't wait" to finish college and join the "real world" out there. Of course we then expect to make the big bucks and find 'the one' and settle down. Have babies. Hear their first word. See them walk for the first time. Get potty trained. Start pre-school... that's when the cycle starts all over and each "next big thing" is wrapped up in our kids. We still have some of our own, right? Getting our first "brand new" car. First house. Better brand new car. Bigger and better house in a safer neighborhood. The fastest, shiniest, smallest, best new gadgets. Retirement. Winters in Arizona.

Why is it so hard to enjoy the moment? This, right now? Even Christians fall prey. We try to enjoy God right now, but we "can't wait" for so-and-so to get saved. Sitting on the edge of our seats to see someone overcome their strongholds. All wrapped up in how great it will be when we ourselves overcome certain areas of addiction. But we miss the here and now, the process. What a beautiful thing to be a part of the process of someone coming to know Jesus Christ, seeing their worldview be transformed, watching as they metamorphisize. What an amazing experience to walk with someone through that dark valley of shadows, to savor the sweetness when they emerge victorious. And the exhilaration of ourselves finding that we have stepped out of the gauntlet? It's incapable of being described by words.

If we could stop waiting for the next big thing and enjoy the process we might actually get to relish the results. Otherwise, all we dreamed becomes reality but we're too caught up in expectation of what might be next.

I, for one, am done with that way of living. Care to join me?