Word of the Week: Cusp

From the Latin: point. A point that marks the beginning of a change; i.e. on the cusp of a new era.

Cusp. Not part of my everyday vocabulary, which is usually limited to words like carbon, ship date, and, unfortunately, LATE! Oh, and coffee - and lots of that! And on the home front, words like pizza and laundry get more of a work out.

I thought about it all day yesterday as we drove down scenic Route 40 to Deep Creek, Maryland. The purpose of our trip of course, was to enjoy the foliage. I think my husband was a bit disappointed, because the leaves are really just beginning to turn. Actually, it's my favorite time, because you really have to be observant. They're on the cusp, so to speak, of turning into an extravagant display.

It's one of those words I'd never given much thought to until I came across it several times in my reading this past week. It conveys a feeling of expectation and anticipation, like the tree so ripe with fruit you know the harvest is inevitable. And it kind of sums up a feeling I have lately, an expectation that months, even years, of work and waiting and praying are about to come to fruition.

It's not a place we find ourselves in all the time, on the cusp. Life is a series of peaks and valleys, struggles and victories. And yet I wonder if I shouldn't live with more of this approach to life, an attitude of expectation. Not looking for a new era, but living with an expectation that God is at work, living in anticipation of what he's going to teach me next. I'm reminded of this prayer I posted earlier.