My family is your classic American family in that we have our share of dysfunction. Who doesn’t?  My mom, though, has had a tough year. In March, she suffered some form of a diabetic seizure or stroke. After a month in intensive care she was moved to a rehabilitation center. After the insurance company deemed she was “rehabilitated” enough to leave, we moved her to a wonderful assisted living facility.
Mom is now probably 50% of what she once was though she would emphatically claim she’s better than ever.
The problem with dysfunction is it comes with a constant battle for normalcy. We have an expectation of unconditional love in a family that is difficult, if not impossible, to find. It is in that search for normalcy that our family has had most of our issues.
Recently, it has became obvious that mom was very sick. The struggle for normalcy no longer exists. As a result, my expectations for the relationship were dramatically lowered if not completely removed as often happens with many children of aging parents. The result of my surrender is that I have enjoyed the last several months with my mom more than anytime I can remember. I should have surrendered years ago.
I was thinking today just how much better the world would be if we dealt with everyone like they were sick. I think this is one of the reasons Jesus viewed himself as The Great Physician. He knew we had an incurable disease called sin and He was the cure.
As leaders this is a difficult concept for us to grasp. We demand excellence. We move people out of their comfort zones. We make hard decisions regarding personnel. We make budget cuts.  We say “Yes”. We say “No”. Maybe, just maybe, we would be better leaders if we instinctively knew that everyone we encountered was sick with an incurable disease, just as we are. I’m just saying. Â
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