The bedroom was quiet. I was sitting at my desk checking my email. I came across one I had been looking for. It was an email from Jaymi Wegner, who was the county 4-H mini horse superintendent at the time. I had emailed her about a week earlier, asking her if there was any way I could help her with her job of county 4-h mini horse superintendent. Her email reply read: “Thanks for getting to me! Would you be willing to take over the entire leadership position? I no longer have the time to do all the work required.”

I sat there stunned as the full weight of her words began to sink into me. She trusted me. She believed I was capable of taking over all the Superintendent responsibilities! This realization caused me to become excited. I looked forward to the challenge!

At the same time I was feeling stunned and excited, I also had feelings of fear and nervousness. “Do I really have the confidence to do this? What happens if I mess up?”

These thoughts were running through my head as I typed and sent a reply stating that I would assume the leadership position.
My head spun a little as I thought about all my new responsibilities. I was now responsible for setting up the entire mini horse show...which meant that now I was responsible for setting up training clinics to help the kids become better at handling their mini horse and I had to delegate certain tasks to the people involved with the mini horse project. I had to pick someone to serve as judge for the show, someone to act as ring steward, and someone to serve as the clerk and recorder. I also had to find someone who would build the mini horse jumps and obstacles for seven of the classes at the show. This all overwhelmed me a bit because I only had a very short time in which to do all this. June 23 was the day I accepted the responsibility. The County 4-H Mini Horse Show was on July 18!

Fast forward to the County 4-H Mini Horse Show. I was sitting on a white bench beside the indoor arena contemplating how the day had gone. Much to my relief, the show had gone like clockwork, and we (meaning my helpers, the kids, and I) had transitioned between the different classes with ease, and no one got hurt by any of the horses.

As I was sitting on the white bench contemplating how the day had gone, the father of one of the kids who had been competing came up to me and said, “Well done! You did a good job today.”

My reply: “I… well… don’t know what to say… other than thanks!” I was stammering because I really didn’t think that I would get any compliments or words of appreciation.

This astonished me. I really didn’t think I had done a good job. I was thinking about the few things that could’ve used improvement. The words “Well done” meant a lot to me. Not only did they mean that I had met expectations, they also meant that I had done the job well enough to prove that I was capable of being trusted with the big things in life. This realization blew my mind and filled me with a new sense of accomplishment and confidence.

Looking back at this experience, I see now how that new sense of accomplishment and confidence has affected me. I am more confident than I once was, and I am more willing to try new things and face my fears. I'm able to do the things that I never thought I'd be able to do-things such as taking charge in a small group if I have to. This is important to me because it brings to mind what my youth group leader said to me a few years ago. She said that someone had to make the first step. Someone had to step forward and show the way so that others could follow.