As [Jesus] 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. As long as it is day, we must do the works 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.”
John 9:1-5 NIV

This month has been a long one (aaand it’s only the twelfth, y’all) and this past Wednesday at youth group, there was a girl sharing her testimony that I personally felt was very timely, and hopefully you’ll find this piece of encouragement from her to be uplifting too.

The message was about facing the things that we thought we ‘got over’ or ‘moved on’ from. At one point in the message, the girl said this:

“The first time you wring out a cloth soaked with water, a lot of water comes out. The second time, a little bit less. The third time, even less, and so on. And as I was reliving these memories and pain, after I thought I had officially moved on, I could see a washcloth full of water, which is the pain and hurt and wounds and things you lived through. And I felt God saying: I still have some water to wring out of you.”

The time that has happened between your pain and your healing isn’t what disqualifies or qualifies your pain—it’s all valid because it’s a personal experience. And we can trust that the Lord is going to use these experiences to grow us and to grow others.

At the top of this post are the verses of John 9:1-5 and this has become such a powerful verse to me lately. The disciples of Jesus are wondering why this man on the road is blind—who did something wrong in order for God to debilitate him?

But Jesus says, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.” (John 9:3-5 MSG)

Look instead for what God can do.

Jesus is telling us, “Stop blaming people, stop hyper-focusing on who needs to do what in order to be fixed! Focus on what the Lord Almighty can do.”

So what can God do, we ask ourselves?

Look at your life—He’s provided food. Family. A home. A job. Friends. Experiences that grew you and taught you. Chances to try again. Chances to forgive and be forgiven. Chances to live and love like Him. People who you need and who need you. People who learned from your faith and who guided you in yours.

Look at what the Lord has done.

As we go into this new week, join me as I contemplate and center my focus on what the Lord has done and how He is taking us on a journey so that His glory might be displayed today.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!
~Willow