Born Blind

Today’s Scripture: John 9:1-12

One of my greatest fears is the lose of sight. I really don’t know why I fear this, it probably relates o the fact that I’m already partially deaf. I was probably born that way just as this man was born without sight. I’ve learned to adjust but I agree I would like to hear, because I do miss alot. But if I were to lose sight all the things I love I would miss. Art, reading, fireworks, the sunset and rise are all things that I enjoy today that I would not be able to enjoy the same way I do now.

The disciples ask Jesus who’s fault it was that this man was born in this condtion. We all have been born into things some have parents that seem to fight constantly, others have things seemingly very good. I am constantly asked why…why was I born into a family that was abusive, why did my father always choose work over the family. Many of these stories have nearly driven me to tears and I begin asking why did God allow this to happen? The simple answer is there realy isn’t an answer. We live in places that are broken our families aren’t perfect and our parents aren’t either. Sometimes they are doing the best they can and sometimes they never wanted to be parents at all.

It is sad. It is easy to begin to ask why. This is where Jesus’s answer and actions cause us to pause. His answer is that thi person was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed. I wonder if the things that I had to endure were so that th works of God might be displayed? We are left asking how can the works of God be displayed in an abusive home, or through infadelity in a marriage but it is true God can be praised through them…eventually. while we face the tough and dwn right hellish situations we cannot alway see God but He is there.

Jesus goes on to speak about working while it is day. This is where the wnders of God are displayed. It isn’t in those that harm us but it is found in those that help us through the situations. The glory of God is found in the foster parents that are taking in the troubled kids and caring for them. It is found in the school counselors that spend time talking to the students, its found in the friend who you can talk to even when its 2 am. The day of the Lord is upon us and we must do the work of the Him who has sent us. Each one of us is a minister of God, this is one of the core teachings of the Friends Church. Not only the pastor (if there is a pastor) but each person. This means that God may use you to speak or act according to the needs of someone around you. We see a glimmer of this in this passage, Jesus sent the young man to wash in the pool of Siloam (which means sent). He sent him to Sent.

We have all been wounded and broken in some way. Many of us call on Christ to meet us in our condition. He is there waiting to heal our brokeness in some way and then He sends us to go about His business. We each have a story of comfort, victory, healing, and hope. People all around us need to hear our story in some way, maybe not the whole story but a portion. A bit that can help them overcome their own struggle so that they too can say in their livesthat that happened to them so that the works of God could be displayed in them.