“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
~Galatians 6:9
Today I’m trying to remain positive about tomorrow. It’s going to be a very long but very rewarding day. Every year since I’ve been eligible to vote my Daddy and I have worked the polls. I honestly have a love-hate relationship with poll working. I love being around the people, talking to and helping them fulfill their citizen-ly duty but I LOATHE getting up EXTREMELY EARLY.
It takes me an hour to get ready in the morning. I have to be at the polling place at 5:45am. We need to leave the house by 5:15 to ensure that we get there by 5:45am. This means that I need to get up at 4:15 am. The polls open at 6:30 am. We get an hour break for lunch. The polls close at 7:30pm. Tearing down and cleaning up take about an hour. All of this basically translates into a VERY LONG DAY.
I’m typically very nervous about losing four hours of sleep and being around people all day because when I don’t get my sleep I tend to go from a mostly lovable human to a very angry bear in a matter of minutes and the day after it takes seconds… But every year I get really uptight and you know what? EVERY TIME I HAVE A GREAT TIME AND CAN’T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!!
So this year I’m doing something different. I’m going to make a list of all the positive things that come from working the polls!
- I can be around people all day.
- I can help people fulfill their constitutional duty.
- I have the potential to run into some old friends.
- I can serve my country.
- I get to spend the day with Daddy.
- I can shine the light of Jesus to those around me.
- I can tell the service members that have fought for my freedom thank you for their service.
Compare this to the negative list:
- Losing at least four hours of sleep.
7 to 1—I think that we have a winner. There is more good by being a poll worker than not. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve my country, to bless those around me, to shine the light of Jesus to those around me.
I need to remember that God has put me in this position to do good for Him. I need to remember that I’m Jesus’s ambassador, that I represent Him. I can do good there by acting as He would. I need to remember that even though it is a very long day that He will be with me the entire time. I need to remember He has things that He wants me to see/know about Him; that He wants to show me something else about His loving character.
Until next time,
Bailey Sue
**This post was originally written on March 14, 2016 and edited on 11/7/16**
