Our next implementation phase required (and continues to) require a lot of grace, trust, and forgiveness. Basically, it just requires everyone to be Christ-like. Which shouldn’t be too hard for a Christians, right? Sure.

As the software administrator, I wanted a second-in-command. Someone who could figure this thing out if I dropped dead. At the moment I realized I needed this, I was sitting in the back of a mini-van, on a winding mountain road, sandwiched between a cement dividing wall and a semi-truck, with my 17-year-old son at the wheel. I texted my bosses and said, “Hey guys, someone else should have full access to this software other than me. Who – other than me – do you trust 100%?” They both gave me the same name. I upgraded that person’s permissions immediately. This isn’t someone I see day-to-day at the Church, but if I happen to run into him, and ask him about the software his usual response is he doesn’t check it. He doesn’t need to. He trusts me to manage it. I  have the confidence that if something tragic were to happen, there’s someone who can step in and have full access to everything I’ve done.

Although I don’t attend the Church where I work and serve, I have told them I’m accessible to them on  Sundays – on site if ever needed – and since the software is cloud-based, I can make most edits from my phone or laptop. However, if there’s ever a time when I can’t be accessible on a Sunday, I know there’s a back up person who I and my bosses can trust.

I’m also continually learning new things about the software.  Since I only had the trial version, plus a few weeks of the full version before implementation, I am still learning new things. I will sometimes call on one of few people I know to test a feature for me. I trust that they will give me helpful feedback on whether or not a feature is working and displaying correctly.

Grace and forgiveness. Sometimes – even when a feature has been tested, and re-tested – something just won’t look right. The ‘send’ button doesn’t send. The image doesn’t display the way I thought it would. There are people not in the system because no one told you those people existed and they hadn’t been on any other forms or documents that you’d entered. Something just doesn’t go perfectly. During those times, all I can do is ask for grace and forgiveness.

I’m grateful to have received both as we go through this process of progress together.