Wrong Definitions (Part 1)
Wrong Definitions (part 1)
I have a passion for using the right word or the right phrase when I am writing. Words are important. John 1 says that Jesus is the Word. Mark 4:14 says that we are sowing with our words. But what happens when key words are misunderstood, misinterpreted, or misused? I have a few important words that I was using wrong. When I started writing this, it was one word. That has changed, those wrong definitions keep expanding the more I pray and get to know my Savior more and more. I will return to this topic over the coming months.
Anticipation.
Anticipation is defined as “the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction.”[1]
Is anticipation good? Is anticipation bad? Yes. And yes. As my job consists partially of anticipating the promotional needs of others, I would say anticipation is good. As I am a broken human being who has been in abusive relationships in the past, I would say it is bad. How can something be both good and bad at the same time?
Anticipation in a good light.
I am a noticer. I see way more than anyone might guess. On a good day, I might be able to see that you changed your hairstyle, see that the picture on the wall is crooked, recognize that you might be sad today, sense that something is different with you, and observe that someone put the toilet paper facing the wrong direction. (Yes, under is right, but my husband would certainly disagree!) Being a noticer means that I have to pick and choose which things I can do something about or what may fall under my area of responsibility. Otherwise, I choose to do a whole lot of ignoring things that may annoy me, but I can’t do anything about it.
Some examples of practical anticipation, for me, looks like:
Anticipation in my job is good. Anticipation in my life is good. If I didn’t anticipate my family’s need of nourishment everyday, they might starve to death. (It’s highly unlikely, but possible.) I think you get my thought – anticipation can be a good thing.
Anticipation in a bad light.
But it is always possible to take something good and use it for bad. I was at one time in a very unhealthy relationship. It was emotionally destructive, mentally and sexually abusive, controlling, and towards the end was teetering on being physically abusive. I walked on eggshells every day, noticing the mood of the room in anticipation of what might come. Fear and anxiety ruled my life, so anticipation became a lifestyle. My God-given gift of noticing became a litmus test for how much fear and self-protection I had to wear every day. As the abusive relationship was with a very intelligent, creative, and impulsive person, I learned to don an inner terror of anyone who mimicked those personality types. Anticipation of potential abuse became a prison, even if it didn’t happen.
Again, I ask, how can something be both good and bad? It’s because of a wrong definition. The second form of “anticipation” really is fear (or in a more technical and diagnostic sense, anticipatory anxiety).
Fear.
Fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat;” also “a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone;” and “the likelihood of something unwelcome happening.”[2]
If I had known the difference, if I had had the correct definition, would I have identified the subtle contrast between good and bad anticipation? Maybe, maybe not.
Correcting the wrong thought patterns.
The way to correct such drastically wrong ways of thinking is always to go back to the Source. As stated at the beginning, Jesus is the Word. Everything was created through Him (John 1:3) and His Word is truth (John 14:6). Letting go of fear and embracing the truth of God’s Word is the only way to change an ingrained belief and thought pattern. When your life experience does not resemble what God says in His Word, the only way to combat your experience is to try to look at things through God’s glasses, so to speak. Here are some truths to help:
My experience followed the pattern of this world. I needed to see a new experience. I needed to see God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. My old, sinful nature and way of life needed to be changed; my old thoughts and attitudes needed to be altered. I needed to know Who to fear and who not to fear.
I hope this story helps to open your eyes to even one of the ways that a misunderstanding can open the door to a completely warped and twisted way of living and understanding. Those lies and deceptions of the enemy keep God’s people bound in misery and pointing fingers at one another, rather than keeping our eyes on Jesus, Who is working ALL THINGS for good in our lives (Rom. 8:28). We all would do well to take off our fractured glasses of human understanding and experience and pick up the true lenses of God and His Word.
[1] Google search. Accessed October 3, 2025.
[2] Ibid.
I have a passion for using the right word or the right phrase when I am writing. Words are important. John 1 says that Jesus is the Word. Mark 4:14 says that we are sowing with our words. But what happens when key words are misunderstood, misinterpreted, or misused? I have a few important words that I was using wrong. When I started writing this, it was one word. That has changed, those wrong definitions keep expanding the more I pray and get to know my Savior more and more. I will return to this topic over the coming months.
Anticipation.
Anticipation is defined as “the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction.”[1]
Is anticipation good? Is anticipation bad? Yes. And yes. As my job consists partially of anticipating the promotional needs of others, I would say anticipation is good. As I am a broken human being who has been in abusive relationships in the past, I would say it is bad. How can something be both good and bad at the same time?
Anticipation in a good light.
I am a noticer. I see way more than anyone might guess. On a good day, I might be able to see that you changed your hairstyle, see that the picture on the wall is crooked, recognize that you might be sad today, sense that something is different with you, and observe that someone put the toilet paper facing the wrong direction. (Yes, under is right, but my husband would certainly disagree!) Being a noticer means that I have to pick and choose which things I can do something about or what may fall under my area of responsibility. Otherwise, I choose to do a whole lot of ignoring things that may annoy me, but I can’t do anything about it.
Some examples of practical anticipation, for me, looks like:
- observing the calendar and making sure that overall objectives are taken care of.
- asking leaders if they have finalized details about events and what needs to be communicated about the same.
- evaluating the best way to communicate information.
Anticipation in my job is good. Anticipation in my life is good. If I didn’t anticipate my family’s need of nourishment everyday, they might starve to death. (It’s highly unlikely, but possible.) I think you get my thought – anticipation can be a good thing.
Anticipation in a bad light.
But it is always possible to take something good and use it for bad. I was at one time in a very unhealthy relationship. It was emotionally destructive, mentally and sexually abusive, controlling, and towards the end was teetering on being physically abusive. I walked on eggshells every day, noticing the mood of the room in anticipation of what might come. Fear and anxiety ruled my life, so anticipation became a lifestyle. My God-given gift of noticing became a litmus test for how much fear and self-protection I had to wear every day. As the abusive relationship was with a very intelligent, creative, and impulsive person, I learned to don an inner terror of anyone who mimicked those personality types. Anticipation of potential abuse became a prison, even if it didn’t happen.
Again, I ask, how can something be both good and bad? It’s because of a wrong definition. The second form of “anticipation” really is fear (or in a more technical and diagnostic sense, anticipatory anxiety).
Fear.
Fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat;” also “a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone;” and “the likelihood of something unwelcome happening.”[2]
If I had known the difference, if I had had the correct definition, would I have identified the subtle contrast between good and bad anticipation? Maybe, maybe not.
Correcting the wrong thought patterns.
The way to correct such drastically wrong ways of thinking is always to go back to the Source. As stated at the beginning, Jesus is the Word. Everything was created through Him (John 1:3) and His Word is truth (John 14:6). Letting go of fear and embracing the truth of God’s Word is the only way to change an ingrained belief and thought pattern. When your life experience does not resemble what God says in His Word, the only way to combat your experience is to try to look at things through God’s glasses, so to speak. Here are some truths to help:
- Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom. 12:2
- Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Eph. 4:21-24
- The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. Ps. 19:9
- The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 27:1
My experience followed the pattern of this world. I needed to see a new experience. I needed to see God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. My old, sinful nature and way of life needed to be changed; my old thoughts and attitudes needed to be altered. I needed to know Who to fear and who not to fear.
I hope this story helps to open your eyes to even one of the ways that a misunderstanding can open the door to a completely warped and twisted way of living and understanding. Those lies and deceptions of the enemy keep God’s people bound in misery and pointing fingers at one another, rather than keeping our eyes on Jesus, Who is working ALL THINGS for good in our lives (Rom. 8:28). We all would do well to take off our fractured glasses of human understanding and experience and pick up the true lenses of God and His Word.
[1] Google search. Accessed October 3, 2025.
[2] Ibid.
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