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 works of God might be displayed in him.

John 9:1-3

In all my writings I’ve tried to be honest. I’ve written about my mental illness and my emotional problems and what they do to me. I shared everything openly because I don’t feel I have any cause for shame. I don’t believe that those dealing with mental health issues or emotional challenges should be blamed for them—or feel ashamed.

I was reminded of the disciples’ question for Jesus when he was about to heal a man blind from birth, “Who sinned?”

The Jews of the day believed that sickness was caused by either the sin of the sick person, or of his relations. They believed sickness or disability was a punishment for that sin. In other words, a cause for shame.

The answer Jesus gave made me sit up and take notice. He said, it was not sin that caused his blindness. No, it was quiet the opposite. “. . . this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

What I hear Jesus saying is that everything in the blind man’s life—his life with blindness, and then his healing—would display God’s mercy and power. God’s work would not have been as evident if the man hadn’t been blind in the first place.

This story could apply to us as well. We might not be blind, but we do have other disabilities. Maybe God had a reason for making us the way he did. Maybe we are this way “. . . so that the works of God might be displayed” in us. Have you ever considered that?

I believe our problems make it possible for Jesus to show what he can do. His work will be more evident than if we had never been sick in the first place.

Draw close to Jesus and ask him for the courage to overcome what holds you back from living a full life. Offer to serve him in whatever ways you’re able. Trust him to help you, and he will work in your life, as he did in the lives of those he healed years ago. Through the life you live, Jesus will reveal his glory.

marja