Tuesday Read: Presidents' Day and Flawed Leaders

Today is Presidents' Day, originally established to honor George Washington's birthday (February 22, 1732) but now a federal holiday recognizing all U.S. presidents. Washington was extraordinary - unanimously elected, voluntarily stepped down after two terms, set precedents that shaped American governance. But he also enslaved people. Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union and ended slavery, but he also suspended habeas corpus and struggled with depression. Every president has been both remarkable and deeply flawed.

This matters because we tend to make leaders into either heroes or villains, forgetting they're human. We elevate them beyond their capacity or condemn them beyond fairness. We expect them to be saviors who solve all problems or we declare them irredeemable failures who ruin everything. But leaders are just people - capable of both good and evil, wisdom and foolishness, nobility and selfishness.

Scripture is brutally honest about leadership failures. David, "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14), committed adultery and murder. Moses, who spoke with God face to face, disobeyed and was barred from the Promised Land. Peter, the rock on whom Christ would build his church, denied Jesus three times. Paul, the greatest missionary in Christian history, persecuted Christians before his conversion. Every leader in Scripture except Jesus has significant moral failures recorded.

This honesty serves multiple purposes. First, it prevents hero worship. We're tempted to make leaders into saviors, expecting them to fix what only God can fix. When they inevitably fail - and they will - our disillusionment can be devastating. But if we recognize from the beginning that all leaders are flawed humans, we can appreciate their contributions without being destroyed by their failures.

Second, it reminds us that God works through flawed people. He doesn't wait for perfect leaders before advancing his purposes. He uses broken instruments to accomplish his will. David's adultery didn't disqualify him from being Israel's greatest king. Moses' disobedience didn't erase his leadership of the exodus. Peter's denial didn't prevent him from leading the early church. God's purposes advance through imperfect people.

Third, it keeps our expectations realistic. If you're in leadership - whether in family, business, church, or community - you will fail. You will make mistakes, wrong decisions, harmful choices. This doesn't disqualify you from leadership; it makes you human. The question isn't whether you'll fail but how you'll respond when you do. Will you acknowledge failures honestly? Will you make amends where possible? Will you learn from mistakes? Will you trust God's grace is sufficient even for your leadership failures?

Fourth, it points us to the only perfect leader - Jesus. Every human leader will disappoint eventually. They'll reveal character flaws, make terrible decisions, or fail when you need them most. But Jesus never fails. He never sins, never misleads, never disappoints. He's the leader worthy of absolute trust, the one who won't eventually let you down.

So on Presidents' Day, we can appreciate leaders' contributions while acknowledging their failures. We can learn from their successes without ignoring their sins. We can honor their service without making them saviors. And we can recognize that every human leader, no matter how remarkable, is just a flawed person trying to lead other flawed people - all of us in desperate need of the grace that only Jesus offers.