January 8: One Week In and the Jolly Postman

One Week In

It is January 8th, which means I am 8 days into my challenge. That leaves 357 more days until I have met my goal. I have had several people ask about my progress. So, here is my reflection on the past week.

I have learned that this challenge is...well, challenging. However, anything worth doing is usually hard. I am evermore excited about the challenge that lies before me. This past week, a lot has been revealed to me through prayer, scripture, conversations with others, self-reflection, and situations. I am excited to learn these lessons as I know they will only make me stronger, wiser and more equipped to serve Jesus. The situations that have unfolded have been incredible. I have met wonderful people too. And this is just the beginning! Wow! How much more there is for me to look forward to. Most of all, God has certainly been faithful and it has been great to watch Him work. 

The challenges are not what I expected, however. I thought the time factor would be the hardest part; keeping committed, carrying out the daily tasks, and blogging. But I have found the hardest part to be what no one else sees. The doubt that I have every time after clicking the "Publish Post" button launching the new post live on the web. It is scary to bare my soul to the world and not knowing if someone will misinterpret something I have written or if I have misinterpreted or misrepresented scripture. I certainly feel as though I am walking under a cloud of uncertainty. That is something I had not expected to face, but I am not surprised by it. I pray that the Lord will remove this doubt from my mind and instead bless me with wisdom, courage, and dedication to stay the course. 

I am trying so hard to keep my identity anonymous as I do not want to be the focal point, but rather for God's glory to shine through. In every word I type, I pray that this is conveyed but it is hard to share personal experiences without revealing more and more about myself. My strengths, weaknesses, and struggles are now public knowledge. Again, I must remind myself that this does not matter if the Lord is glorified through it. While I may be uncomfortable, I hope that others can identify or at least appreciate my honesty.

So, there you have it. If you think about it, I would sure appreciate your prayers. :0) Thank you!

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The Jolly Postman

Yesterday, I had a chance encounter with the mailman. My dog is just a little chihuahua mix, but she would be darned to believe her size matters. I think she is under the impression that she is a Pit Bull or Doberman! Point being that she likes to be "intimidating" and "fierce" when she sees men she does not know. (Our pup is a rescue dog and we think she was abused by a male.) I was taking her potty when the mailman turned down our cul-de-sac. I waved as Maile went about her business. He waved back. She barked and barked and barked! Man oh man did she bark! He was so nice though. He pulled up and asked if she would like a treat. I said he could try as she is quite picky about her treats. He gave her a treat and she just kept on barking. I did my best to calm her down. Eventually she devoured the treat and then went right on barking. The mailman and I had a nice conversation over the barking. He was a nice guy and goes by Bubba. He was so patient and kind to my little Maile. After enjoying a friendly conversation for several minutes he continued on his route and I took Maile back inside. I was so embarrassed by her behavior! I marched right upstairs and grabbed a cute card with a dog that looks very much like Maile on it. Using my opposite hand for effect, I wrote an I'm Sorry and Thank You card for Bubba. I know this was a silly thing, but I hoped it would at least brighten his day. 

More importantly than writing the card, I was happy to have met Bubba. Now, if I could only get up early enough to meet the paper boy...