Today’s reading: John 9:1-41
The disciples and Jesus come upon a man who has been blind since birth. Immediately, the disciples jump to the conclusion that this man’s sin was the cause of his blindness. But Jesus informs them otherwise, telling the disciples that neither the man’s sin nor the sin of his parents brought about the circumstance. Rather, the man’s blindness was necessary for God and His work to be highlighted and shown to others.
There are a variety of different reasons for difficult circumstances in our lives. Yet when something unpleasant arises (in our life or in someone else’s), we often jump to the conclusion that poor choices and actions brought about the bad circumstance and that God is disciplining us or them. That can be the case–but not always.
You see, sometimes God allows tough circumstances to come into our lives as a way to teach and grow us so that we have a better understanding of who He is–ultimately leading us closer to Him. Other times God uses hard circumstances so that His moving in our lives–the way He provides, sustains and protects us–is made known to us and others. There will be times when the ugly situation we’re facing is because of us and a poor choice we’ve made. Regardless of how we end up in the hard situation, God is in control and will use our circumstances to accomplish His purposes and ultimately bring Him glory.
When you encounter extremely difficult circumstances, do you think of them as opportunities to highlight God and grow even closer to Him? What’s one example of how God used a difficult situation to teach you more about Him and His love for you? What’s an example of how God was highlighted to someone else through a bad or tough circumstance you experienced? Tami
Source: Tami’s Blog
