Restoring the Shape of the Dropped Ball

Dorothy 1993

After fetching my eldest from the clutches of Mississippi - just kidding - and returning her safely to the nest today... despite the state of Alabama's exceedingly slow timetable for interstate "improvements", Georgia's rains and South Carolina's rush hour(s)... I gathered my thoughts across the last 30 days.

There's been a lot transpiring in my home, at work, in our church and even within the respective camps which have had the benefit of my daughters' cumulative experiences to employ for youth ministry. And, considering the tempo of activities and efforts here-and-there, I have taken a few moments to ask myself,

"What more could I have done that might've effected a better outcome?"

Now, I'll be the FIRST person to tell you that I haven't "arrived" (my wife, will be a very close "second"... but, sometimes she's "first" - especially when I ain't looking). I tend to play the role of "Monday morning armchair quarterback" and over-analyze things to death. I believe - to some degree - this is hard-wired into most men; and, although not a "geek" per se, I do find myself grouped in that gaggle.

When I was much, much younger (and lighter), I was real quick to attack the offender (or get mad at myself when it was me) as anyone who dropped the proverbial "ball" made life tough for the entire group (i.e. my teammates in football, my cohorts in combat arms, other analysts at my insurance job, etc.). Getting "bent outta shape" was just something I did... too well.

So, in the interim... life lessons come-and-go, people die, tears are shed, companies lose money, people are offended, yada, yada, yada.

So, over time, I've found it a tad more fruitful to shift the focus from "blame" to "recovery". Then, given that I control no one's thoughts, motivations and actions other than my own, I asked myself two questions, one...

"What do I need to do?"

Well, whether the Holy Scripture is your guide, or not, none can argue with the ethic it presents:

"[Employees] are to be submissive to their own [employers] in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." (Tts.2.9-10.esv)

Okay, simple enough (BTW: pilfering is "stealing") And, secondly...

"What do I do when others don't, can't or won't?"  

Yeah, here's the "rub"... before answering THAT one, I have to "assume" (yeah, I know what happens when we "assume"...) that either I'm going to hold fast to one set of tenets to guide every facet of my life (e.g. the Holy Scriptures) or I employ "situational ethics" - that is to "tailor" the situation according to the outcome I desire. By the way, I choose the former, not the latter.

Therefore, I have (lately) been taking the "restoring and rehabilitation" approach to dealing with organizational deficiencies. For example, I ask myself (only because these have ACTUALLY happened)..

When IT doesn't communicate and deliver updates to requested reports requested, I...

When HR doesn't get a personnel action loaded into the applicable payroll cycle, I...

When someone outside your "food chain" doesn't provide me a piece of data that senior leadership needed, I...

When someone tells you to pick them up at a certain time and you wind up waiting, I...

When a friend says they'll do something for me and forgets, I...

In my reactions, do I consider other Scripture?

"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." (2Cr.2.11.esv)

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Eph.4.29.esv)

That is not to say that it must be done in a hyper-sensitive nature, skirting around the issue entirely; but, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it shouldn't be done in a cold, calculated unloving manner either... even if we're "right". Our LORD Jesus was a very balanced person - being both Man and GOD - and gave us examples of how to deal with "difficult situations" and/or "difficult people".

So, what happens AFTERWARDS? Do we give the ball-carrier another opportunity to run it into the "end zone"? Do we scoop up the mistake, own it, attempting to do it ourselves - becoming either "savior" or "martyr" in the process?

Wish there was an easy answer. But, I offer this for the moment...

Just because something "falls through the cracks" doesn't mean we have the obligation to repair/remedy it. It might not have needed to be undertaken in the first place; or, simply, some things have to fall apart before the lesson can be learned in order for it to be built stronger. MMLIA