Divinely Dysfunctional: Unique on Purpose

“A word that I hear used a lot in today’s society is dysfunctional. This word is talked about on television, radio, the Internet, and even around the water cooler. It’s used to describe a person or group of people, often a family, with issues. The dictionary defines dysfunctional as ‘not normal or not functioning properly.’ But in a world of 7 billion people and counting, where no two individuals even have the same fingerprints, how can what’s ‘normal’ be determined?

“We are all unique. Consider also that no two people have the same dental imprint. Some are tall, some are small, some are thick, and some are thin. So, what’s normal? And what’s abnormal? How is normal or abnormal determined? Who can determine whether a person is normal or not? What criteria are to be used?

“I’m not suggesting that some behaviors aren’t outside of acceptable lines. Some certainly are! I’m merely presenting the idea that everyone different from me or you should not automatically be labeled as ‘dysfunctional.’ Perhaps they are ‘diff-functional’ (my word, which means that they function differently than others.)

“Hope for those considered to be dysfunctional ... that’s what this book is all about, hope for those who have been labeled by society and considered to be not useful, having no worth, being not much more than throwaways, unusable. The characters I write about here seemed to be dysfunctional, but they were people just like you and me who found a hope that had been looking for them all along. And hope is looking for you too. I pray this book helps bring the two of you together.” -- Benton T. Thompson, III