ADMINISTRY

I should be on a plane today, heading home to see my family.  Instead I am stuck here…with a moose as my only companion.

I normally do not like Thanksgiving, but I was hoping to be home for this one.  I have not really been with my family for several months.  I saw my newborn son for only a few days and was looking forward to holding him.  I have missed my wife and curling up into bed with her.

I had planned to eat a huge meal with my family and talk about being stuffed for hours.

I had planned to play with my children and laugh and tell them stories.

I had planned to enjoy debates with my college age student.

I’d like to say that there are important reasons why I am not at home…but it comes down to one word: administration. I am still here because admin was not done properly.  People failed to communicate what needed to be done.  Emails went unanswered and deadlines were missed.

This means:

No meal

No games with my children

No lively debates

No holding my newborn son

No curling up with my wife.

Because of ADMIN.

We often do not take administration seriously.  It is one of those tasks that we will get to if we have time.  Especially if it is tasks for other people.  People ask us questions and we do not answer them.  They send forms and we shuffle them into the stack of the more important paperwork we need to get to.

We do not understand that paperwork is not just paperwork.  This paperwork often represents the hopes and dreams of people.  It represents the livelihood of families and the lifeblood of hard work. We can treat it like a nuisance and an unwanted task. Not sexy or glorifying.  It is something we do in between the times we are doing something else to make us feel important.

My family has not been properly paid in months.

Because of ADMIN.

Because I can’t get people to talk to each other.  To listen to each other.  To understand each other.

Because of this, my family has been struggling for the last few months.  We do not know whether we

will have the money to pay the rent or to feed hungry mouths.

We know there will no gifts under the tree this Christmas and we wonder how we are going to make car payments.

What we consider to be a nuisance, or a pain may very well be another person’s life.

Emails and questions represent hopes and dreams of people.  A request for leave represents the yearning desires and anxious plans.  A request for proper pay may be the difference between making it and being swallowed by financial demands of the world.

Unanswered emails lead to frustrated and angry conversations which lead to hurt feelings and wounds.   

When we are doing administration, it might be tempting for us to do what is easiest for us.  We don’t always take into account the toll our shortcuts have for other people.  Because it was easier for someone in Washington, I will lose two years of life with my family.

Two years is 730 days. 

My son will be two years old when I get home again.

I will miss teaching my daughter how to drive.  I already missed the first one.

My older son will be a teenager.  I may miss teaching him how to shave.

I will miss birthdays, holidays, concerts, vacations, and camping trips and pizza nights.

Because it was easier for someone else.

This is not to say that I am not happy to serve the Navy.  I am happy and proud to be part of the Navy every day.  It does not mean that I am angry or resentful or will not do my best where I am going. I will serve, and I will work hard and I will be glad every day I get to serve with America’s Navy.

But it does help me with my own look at Admin.  How do I do administry? Do I make sure that I am doing my best to address the needs of people who come looking to?  Am I making sure that I answer emails and address problems correctly? Am I looking out for the best for my sailors whose evals I write?

Administration is a ministry and in many ways it is one of the most important ministries.  We must admit that life is largely dictated by forms and paperwork.  Everything from our romantic relationships to our health care is dictated by the work that other people do in filing forms and managing records.  When we do administry, we have the power to affect peoples lives in ways that go beyond our normal ways.

But this is usually not very exciting or glamorous or noteworthy.  Often times it comes down to mundane tasks such as making sure our expectations are clearly communicated, making sure we answer those emails and ensuring that everything we are responsible for is done in a timely, efficient manner. It’s more George Marshall than Dwight Eisenhower,  more Marshall Matthews than Emimen, more Pepper Potts than Iron Man.  But sometimes we need to put aside our pride to ensure justice for everyone.

Because when you communicate your expectations and outline the process clearly, more families have time together.

When you answer emails, you create a collaborative working environment that leads to a peaceful exchange of ideas.

When you do the paperwork properly, goals are met, dreams are fulfilled, and the world becomes a slightly better place.

 It is time that administration becomes more than that…it becomes a ministry…administry.