Dysfunction Junction
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
In my trusty old 1966 edition of Webster’s New World Dictionary, “dysfunction” is defined as a medical term meaning “abnormal, impaired, or incomplete functioning of an organ or part”. We have come to use the term to describe folks who, in our opinion, do not have it all together, that is, they do not function like what we think a “normal” person or family should function. What is normal? Again, according to Webster’s, normal “implies conformity with the established standard for its kind”. Dysfunctional families are described as folks who have all sorts of problems, who do not get along with one another, or who seem to live their lives to their own “drumbeat”. However, it has been my observation that all families are dysfunctional to one degree or another. I don’t know of any individual or family who “has it all together”, that is, they make all the right decisions, are models of good citizens, and they always seem to have a solution for every problem they encounter.
We all come into this world as a dysfunctional human being because we have a sin nature. A baby comes into the world crying, not laughing. That would be cool to hear a baby burst out laughing when he takes his first breath, but the crying comes naturally. He apparently doesn’t see anything funny about leaving the warm and protected womb of his mother and coming into this world of woe. Of course, he doesn’t realize what awaits him in this crazy world, but maybe he does. Perhaps that is why he cries. I feel like crying, too, when I watch the news and see the inhumanity between people. If it is not a war, then it is a horrible accident. If it is not that, then it is a murder, rape, theft, anarchy, lies, mockery, tornadoes, floods, or ungodly policies put forth by politicians. I could go on, but why depress myself any further than I am already depressed?
Since we are all dysfunctional, what do we do? We can’t just decide to do better. I remember the pastor that I had when I was younger used to say that one couldn’t just take a “do good” pill and pass muster when it comes to being right before God. In other words, as I have written hundreds of times, our “good” works will never satisfy God into allowing us into His family and ultimately into heaven. He desires that we do good works, but the kind of good works that we are to do are those that we do because we belong to Him, not to try to impress God. Even to suggest that we would even toy with the idea that we can impress Him by our good works is ludicrous. Just think about this: trying to impress God who made the universe, the earth, and mankind. Job found out the hard way that God was God, and he wasn’t. God even asked him (paraphrasing), “Where were you, Job, when I laid the foundations of the earth? If you know so much, then tell me how much you know” (Job 38:4). I sure would have hated to be in Job’s shoes!
But aren’t we all like Job to some extent? Don’t we think we know more than what we do know? The more that I study God’s word, the more I discover how little I know. Yes, it is true that I have learned a lot in studying God’s word, but there is so much more to learn. If I lived one hundred more years, studying hours a day, I could never absorb it all. Many folks don’t even try to delve into God’s word because they say they can’t understand it. A quote from Mark Twain revealed the real reason that folks don’t read God’s word: “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand!” There’s nothing like being honest!
Being naturally dysfunctional has a remedy. Earlier I wrote that normal means conforming with an established standard. Folks have all sorts of standards by which they abide. However, the only standard that is worthy of our adherence is the standard that God set forth in His word. But, again, we can’t meet His standard on our own. Those sins that we commit, whether intentional or unintentional, can be covered over and shielded from condemnation by the blood of Christ. We will still be dysfunctional to some degree, because we will still be living in this body of flesh, subject to attack by the devil, but we no longer must live like someone who has no hope of ever finding freedom from the consequences of sin. Rather than falling short of the glory of God, all those who repent, trust in Christ, and live in commitment to Him, will get to share in His glory (I Peter 5:10). And that’s pretty sweet.