Sad Observation in a Post Office

Finally got St. Bernard Love of God Bourbon Ball order completed.  One obstacle after another, though, and took four days of hassling, including finally Apple replacing the "lemon" laptop.  God bless them!  

But then the HP Jet Pro Printer would not work.  Apple Care did their best to help.  God bless them again!  Finally HP sent a download of the driver, for the new Apple operating system.  God bless them.  Then the labels would not print properly.  Contacted Avery.com, and their website was having difficulties due to a not-so-good update program.

All through the hours of frustration and obstacles (have just brushed the surface of them), the man placing the order and this hermit figured it was the devil trying to disrupt.  But with the label snafu, this hermit began to consider that it may be His Real Presence letting the hermit know that making bourbon balls and fudge--love of God and fortitude though they be--is not His will, at least for now or the near future.

Decided this would be the end for awhile, at least with shipping to the main customer.  Had to send them without labels, and that is not good.  Hand-wrote the main label but could not do the ingredients label.  So am gifting them to the customer.

Drove to civilization to assist again with something a young boy is doing as an act of charity in his neighborhood, so mailed the order from a post office.  While waiting in line, noticed the Christmas stamp selection.  One out of 12 stamp designs was Christian, and it was rather limited in being an image of three camels in silhouette.

Mentioned to the postal worker how sad this is, considering Christmas is a Christian major event!  One of of twelve stamp designs being a Christian theme, is sad!  He agreed.  In recent years at least there was a stamp of Mary holding Infant Jesus.

Regardless, wanted to make also the point that sometimes when we face obstacles that seem uncanny and chaotic, it surely has elements of the devil interfering.  But we may also want to consider that His Real Presence is allowing the obstacles, and that it also could be God's means of closing doors for us even if but temporarily. Or, He may wish some other avenue for us.  This hermit considered the time and effort, especially in making the condiments in another kitchen, not on site--and perhaps His Real Presence prefers efforts spent on spiritual reading, writing, and hermitage manual labor.

All the more emphasis to the Christian path of striving after Jesus--considering the lack of adoration and glory He is given in something as simple as only one postage stamp reflecting the sole reason for Christmas!

God bless His Real Presence in us!  For, it seems He is not in as much of what He used to be, out there in our world.  Little children, let us love one another, for in that way we can be living stamps of Jesus, reflecting His love and image, when out and about.