DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH SICKNESS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH SICKNESS

"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.' " (John 9:1-3)

There are some who are like the disciples They would blame all sickness on sin. To be sure, we live in a fallen world, and the sin of Adam has tainted everything with the mark of the Fall. In that sense, all maladies are caused by sin. And it is no doubt that some ailments are cause by human folly – eating wrong or failing to observe wise practices. But to blame all sickness or handicaps on personal sin is too simplistic in my estimation.

As I have mentioned before, our daughter was born with a physical condition that caused the muscles in her neck to atrophy. As an infant, she could not turn her head without pain, and one side of her face did not grow as it should have.

Now, I can ask, "What caused my daughter's handicap?" It certainly wasn't her sin because she, as an infant, was incapable of sinning. Was it her parents' fault? The truth is that she was born breach and the doctors said the abnormal pressure on her head caused the infirmity. Sin was not the cause; it was a natural event.

Jesus said that some infirmities are allowed by God so that He can be glorified. It may be a healing that brings glory to God, as it was with our daughter. It may be a life that lives the Christ-life as demonstration of God's grace through suffering. I don't have all the answers. What I do know is that God is God, and He has a plan for every life – even a handicapped life.

Joni Eareckson Tada prayed for healing after she became a quadriplegic. There were those who said that she did not have enough faith to be healed. I can't answer for Joni, but I do know that her life of being handicapped has brought great glory to God as she has manifested His grace in and through her suffering.

I think we need to be careful how we judge people who are suffering from physical ailments. To say that every infirmity is a result of sin or lack of faith places a burden on faithful people who do not need an extra burden.

Love, Dad