the e-mail giveth, the e-mail taketh away...

I've grown to fear my e-mail inbox. 
I have learned that when I screw up, when I make a mistake that affects my ministry, rather than a phone call or a face to face meeting, most people will point out my flaw by way of a e-mail. Today, there was a bunch of screwing up, and a bunch of e-mails.
Related story is that I got a new phone to replace the iPhone. I had one simple "need" as I went into the ATT store to pick up out my phone, and that was that it "needed" to be able to hold my calendar and allow me to access my e-mails. So I wound up going with the Palm Centro.
That was stupid. Because tonight while I was teaching a drum lesson, one of "those" e-mails came in. I began pacing the room nervously, because someone was upset with me, and I hate that feeling. 
I don't like letting people down. It's like the worst feeling in the world to me. I want to make everyone happy and think that I am a super guy and that I will make their lives easier, not harder. I was about to drive home from my lesson, but I couldn't take it any more. I pulled over into the Dunkin Donuts (there may have been an ulterior motive behind this move) and wrote an e-mail back to the author of the previous e-mail. I apologized profusely, making her aware of how at fault I was in the whole situation. I had screwed up, thus making her life harder. I didn't make excuses, I didn't try to blame it on something else, I didn't try to turn it around. I was to blame, and I stood by it. Having watched the Pens/Red Wings game the night before, and seeing how Osgood always had someone else to blame for the goals he allowed, I figured I could be a little bigger than the Detroit net minder.
<---chump
But when I got home, I had a reply e-mail from the previously mentioned author. She really pepped me up (which is odd, because we've never actually met) and gave me some solid advice as regards my self esteem. Then I got an e-mail from one of our volunteers, who wanted to tell me how awesome one of our kids was the other night during a mission opprotunity. Then I got an e-mail from a few different friends who are joining me for some Penguins watching action on Saturday. All of these e-mail worked together to warm my heart, and make me feel a bit more like this:

E-mail giveth. E-mail taketh away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Godspeed,

Jason

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