John 9:1-12 ......As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man." "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said.
Have you ever had one of those days? The alarm clock doesn't go off and you've got 10 minutes before you have to leave. You jump out of bed and run to the shower where you find there's no hot water! You take a fast freezing cold shower and dry off as you race to the bed - at least your clothes were laid out the night before. As you take your next step, you stub your toe on the corner of the chest at the foot of your bed where your clothes were placed. After taking a moment to walk off the pain, you notice that your persian cat is sleeping on your clothes. You shoo her away and try to brush off the cat hair from your black sweater. It's no use! There's a lint roller in the car. You pin your hair up because there is no time to primp. Throw on your clothes and run out the door! And that's only the beginning! Exhausted yet? Who wouldn't be? When we experience a series of unfortunate events or even an unexpected tragedy, we tend to think "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why is God punishing me?" The point is "Stuff happens!" That's it. That's just life! A few years ago, a friend of mine gave birth to a little girl. The child was born with a birth "defect". My friend loved her daughter but grieved over the difficult life she would have in this cruel world. My friend wrestled with the idea of Why. Why did God allow her daughter to be born this way? Was it her fault? Was God punishing her? It seems so evil that God would take out his anger on a child. The Lord showed me John 9 and I shared it with my friend. No, This was not a punishment. It wasn't a result of sin. God made her daughter this way so that His glory may be revealed. This child would be a light in the darkness. We don't know what his plans are, but I can't wait to see.
