Future Expectations

My kids, with the local assistance of Piper’s sister, are working together to have a memorial plaque of their mom placed on a special remembrance wall at the Santa Rosa Memorial Park in our California hometown, near where the rest of her family are interned.  Piper’s and my wishes were to have our ashes scattered from the top of our favorite peak, in our favorite camping location in Plumas County, California.  This location not only holds years of memories of family camping and hiking adventures with our children, but it is also the first and the very last place that Piper and I vacationed at alone.

That said, I have also wanted to have a physical memorial to her where her life is remembered with a visual representation of some sort.  I have looked into doing it here in Broken Arrow, and while we will probably still do that, the hometown memorial seemed like an excellent way to honor her in the city in which she grew up, flourished and left her mark.

I received a text over the weekend from my two older kids asking for input on Piper’s favorite scripture.  That had me stumped for a moment, simply because she had so many of them!  After a minute of thought, I retrieved her two most used Bibles and began to leaf through them, thinking that her underlining and circling would give me some hints.  As I looked through the books though, I had to laugh for it was difficult to find a single page that didn’t have scriptures highlighted in some manner!

But the more I looked through the Bibles, the more I began to associate memories with particular verses.  One of the very familiar words of truth that popped off the page to me was the Lord’s words in Jeremiah 29:11.  Here the Lord promises us, in the translation of Piper’s well-worn NASB Bible, “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

While reading this verse aloud, it was quite easy to recall many special instances of Piper standing on, teaching, praying or simply sharing this verse with friends, family, neighbors and students through the many years of our relationship.  It was one of those life-blossoming verses that she came to memorize and apply practically and intertwine in situations that she was involved with during her lifetime.  Because of her example, it also became a favorite tool in my scripture toolbox as well!

When I recently studied this verse, I came across a modern interpretation in The Message Bible where the Lord declares, “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”  A little bit of research shows that the word “hope” would be better translated as “expectation.”  In fact, the King James version tells us that the purpose of God’s plan is “to give you an expected end.”  In The Companion Bible, E.W. Bullinger notes that the Lord is informing us that this end is “an end which I have caused you to expect.”

That commentary got me to question myself by asking, “In line with this verse, ‘what exactly am I expecting?’”  The first phrase in Jeremiah 29:11 that caught my eye was the statement that the Lord plans to take care of me, and not abandon me.  That truth brought back a flood of personal examples where the Lord did just that in Piper’s and my life together… up to and including the last eight years of her life when I literally focused my entire attention on her physical care - 24/7.

While in the natural realm, we did experience the shock and hurt of people abandoning us, the Lord stayed true to His promise and never left our side, provided for our every need, and gave us the constant encouragement and love that we hungered for and required.  Thinking back today, that was the end of that chapter in our lives that we both expected!  Looking ahead, I can say without a doubt, that it is also precisely what I am expecting in this new chapter of my life without her at my side.

I actually chuckled at that revelation yesterday for I realized that Piper has already taken her next step, and now I am thanking the Lord for His showing me what my next steps are.  I also had to smile because Piper always seemed to be one step ahead of me when it came to spiritual things, and her stepping through the veil into heaven… was to be no different!

The strong assurance that causes me to fully expect God’s continued best for me is found in Hebrews 13:8 where the truth is stated, saying that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (God’s Word ©)  Therefore, I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that if He made Piper’s and my time together to be the best time of my life… then I EXPECT my future to be the same… if not even better!

So… what is the end that you are expecting… be it for today, tomorrow and/or into your future?  Remember that God is NOT going to abandon you at any time… So, look forward to and continue to EXPECT God’s best for your life!

Have a wonderful time this week in your Great EXPECTATIONS of His involvement in your life!