Mistakes

I made some mistakes at work this week. One, in particular, will continue to haunt me for the next month or so. Oh, it's not fatal, nor is it something that I beat myself up about. It was, IMHO, an "honest" mistake.

The repercussions of said mistake means that I, and the other people with whom I work, will receive phone calls from not-so-happy corporations and donors about the way they were billed this month. No money has to change hands, it just is going to "cost" in time to explain why it happened and how while it looks like they owe money, they really don't.

I found that making this mistake and having to hear the comments from the callers as well as from my colleagues is really hard for me. Like a wound that stings every time you pull off the bandaid, it's a bit ouchy. And, humbling. Just when I thought I had that Grand Idea for how to make things simpler, better, faster in one area, I turn around and do this. Grand Idea - back in the box.

The up side to mistakes is it allows me to practice saying I'm sorry. This mistake reminds me of my humanness. It allows me to ask for forgiveness (over and over) and to pray for those who swear at me, whether or not they put words to it. Through this whole process, my heart is softening and I really do experience, well, grace.

How are your mistakes healing you, in this moment?

But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. 2 Timothy 3:14 (The Message)