“If I don’t see you again, I’ll see you in heaven!”

About a week ago as I was about to return to the East Coast following my vacation to the West Coast, I encountered a mailman in front of my mother’s place delivering mail. He oddly reminded me of a mailman whom I encountered nine years ago. I wrote about my encounter for my prayer group’s newsletter a few years ago, and thought it must be a “sign” to share it again, with minor revisions:

As we walk in our journey of faith, we tend to look for direct signs from God to know that he is there for us and with us. But the more I thought about this week’s readings, it is not necessarily the direct signs from God we should be looking for, but rather the indirect signs from God through the goodness of others to know he’s there. During my first year in college nine years ago, I encountered a mailman working for the Postal Service making his rounds as I was on my way to getting lunch. The mailman approached me and asked, “Do you believe in God?” I replied, “Yes.” He then told me, “That’s great because if you ever need him, he’s always there.” Little did I know that this was not going to be the last time I would see him.

A year later, I encountered the same mailman making his rounds across the street from where I had previously met him. He approached me, and asked, “Do you truly believe in God and open your heart to Jesus?” I did not give him a definitive answer because I have always been lukewarm towards my faith, and did not really open my heart to Jesus during mass. I often treated mass as a chore, because my mother made me attend every Sunday and I thought I may come out of mass having learned something new if I attended. The mailman told me about the importance of communion during mass, and that we should open our hearts to Jesus as we receive the Eucharist. In addition, he told me to remember John 3:16-17, because it promises Jesus saving us. We then parted ways as I went to get lunch, and he continued his rounds.

In case you are wondering, the bible verse John 3:16-17 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

On my walk back to school following lunch, I saw him again in a parking lot continuing to make his rounds. When the mailman saw me, he stopped me and said with a smile, “You did not answer my question. When you left, God told me to get an answer from you if I saw you again. I would like to ask you again, do you open your heart to Jesus?” I replied, “Yes.” He then asked, “Can anyone take away your faith?” to which I replied, “No.” At that moment, I was able to give him an answer straight from the heart because I had time to reflect and count my blessings during our time apart. Like a father-figure, he put his hand over my head, and gave me a prayer of blessing to which I repeated his words on accepting Jesus into my heart. After he gave me the blessing, I asked him, “May I ask what is your name?” He replied, “My name is Paul. But people call me Pastor Paul.” I said, “Thank you, Paul, for the blessing.” He replied, “Don’t thank me, thank God! I’m just a messenger.”

As we parted ways, Pastor Paul pointed at me with a smile and said, “If I don’t see you again, I’ll see you in heaven!”

I have not seen Pastor Paul since our last encounter eight years ago, but he did teach me an important lesson: sometimes the answers to your questions or problems are right in front of you.

The answers or “signs” may be in the form of circumstances or people you encounter, relaying the message for you to take action towards an endeavor.

I have learned in my travels, writing, and reflections during running that you do not need to wait to be ready, let alone, for a sign, to take action. Just start. You will make mistakes or be critiqued along the way, and that is okay! Making adjustments and learning from those mistakes and criticisms are what make the journey itself that much fun, and the end result that much sweeter.

Last year, I registered the Noy Sauce web domain with the vision of having a blog that aims to inspire others. I procrastinated for months to write, because I was too conscious of what people would think of my writing, despite having numerous “signs” of approval from close friends and family. After starting with one article, I gained more confidence in writing more. I became immersed in writing with each article published, respecting and enjoying the process that goes into creating content, as if writing was an extension of me.

As more articles were published, I experienced a breakthrough. When the sign to write became driven by the desire to inspire others without expectation, rather than writing for others’ approval, Noy Sauce was a success.

By respecting the process that goes into a journey and endeavor, you will get results. (No, this is not some saying taken from an infomercial at 3 in the morning. I am speaking from life experience.)

Soon, you will turn from a doubter into a believer. A believer into a doer. A doer into a did-er.

You read that right: “did-er”. (Seriously, Nike. You should have a T-shirt that says, “Just DID it.” I might just make one myself if that does not happen in the next few years.)

I aim to continue growing this blog, as Noy Sauce has become a labor of love I take pride in. I look forward to the day I see Pastor Paul smiling at me, knowing that he helped turn me from a recipient into a messenger.