Job 19:26
Though my skin has been disfigured,
I behold God’s work in my flesh.
I set up at a three-day card show this week and really enjoyed the process. Setting up has always been something I wanted to do. Three big things about card shows that draw me in are the chance to find cards I can’t find on ebay, chances to find cards for cheaper than on ebay, and engaging with my friends that do this on a regular basis. Not sure I will ever have time to do this again, but I thank God for this opportunity nevertheless.
‘Though’ was also ‘after’ or left off. ‘Disfigured’ was also ‘destroyed’ in the Christian sources and ‘’peeled off’, ‘hacked away’, ‘flayed’, and ‘deeply marked’ in the Jewish sources. Disfigured seemed accurate without being gory.
‘God’s work’ was also ‘God’. The use of only God made it seem that he would get to see God while he still lived, but I think it was intended to represent seeing the work of God in his own flesh.
One of the big opportunities in setting up at a show is for people to bring you their cards for you to buy. This was always the golden nugget. I was offered some opportunities, but I do not have the knack for it that others seem to. I was able to pick up an older rookie card I wanted but could never afford and three graded cards I would never have paid ebay prices for. I was happy, so I thanked God.
Every so often I would take a break from selling to see what others had. I found four cards I ‘needed’ for my collection. Considering, that alone would have made the show a success. I found three cards that were not really on my list so much as were too cheap to pass up and fit in my collection. I even found a card a ‘friend’/competitor needed to finish a rainbow. (He has the 1/1, so I will never finish it.) All in all, I was happy with that, and once again thanked God (several times).
From a collecting standpoint, my friends at these shows tend to acquire cards I want and that is how I met them. Probably from every show I’ve gone over the last many years I have gotten my best cards or leads from these guys. I made six purchases from them over the weekend and got something I wanted from each. I also sold them a few cards. Again, things that made me happy, and I thanked God for.
From a financial perspective, I sold a bunch of cards from 2018 that had soared in value. I collected a lot more money than I expected. I also spent less than I took. These financial issues had me happy, and thanking God as well, but it was not the highlight.
The highlight of the weekend was engaging these guys in conversation and a few of the customers or potential customers as well. I spoke with one customer for like an hour. Weird that I could do that, but he projected himself as a 22-year-old version of me. I was not the model of outgoing friendly whatever that others are, but I was not always the sit back and listen guy either. I had prayed that God would give me the strength to do so and that somehow it might glorify him. My friend who sat nearest me is a pastor and we had many conversations about God that customers heard as they walked by or looked at our stuff. We got enough feedback that I knew they heard us. I thank God for all the happiness this brought me, and I hope that my actions gave Him glory.
Written 1/2/2026, Posted 2/9/26, Job 456/~1070