Sunday, February 15, 2015

WWJD

I hear you groaning.  That acronym is so cliché.  I have never used it before. But something happened today at the Community Care Center that was so paradigm-shifting it jolted me out of "usual" mode, and I just had to write about it.

In a nutshell, I saw Jesus today at the CCC.  Now before you start rolling your eyes and making cuckoo motions beside your head, let me tell you what happened.

First, we're a little low on management right now.  Several high-ranking leadership types have moved on in the last month or two, including the Executive Director (In charge of the whole facility and all of everybody in it).  A permanent replacement hasn't been found for the ED position yet, so we have an Interim ED.  He's a young man called Dmitriy, who goes about in a suit and tie and engaging smile, and he has brought many good things to a burdened facility.  In fact, I wrote him what I thought was an encouraging note in his Valentine card this week.

But what I saw today caused me to see that every carefully-worded bit of encouragement I wrote was entirely inadequate.

Today one of the aides on the dementia floor went home early. The receptionist began phoning the on-call list, but was unable to find anyone to fill in.  She reported, regretfully, do Dmitriy that we were short-staffed, and he said he'd think about it.  He went out to his car, came back in, and disappeared into the men's room.

When he came out he was in scrubs and a gait belt, and he spent the rest of the shift downstairs working as a CNA: dressing people and cleaning up all sorts of messes and looking for Grant's glasses; doing the heavy work that keeps the facility running.

I'm speechless.  Truly. So I'll let Scripture say it for me:

"...so [Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.   Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.   I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.   Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

John 13:4-5; 12-17

Amen and amen. This is the kind of exemplary leadership that will redeem the facility. If it spreads around, there will be nothing that will be impossible there.
 

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