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 or his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” John 9: 1-3
This screams one word… PURPOSE! He was born that way for a PURPOSE…
This passage could have begun with the disciples asking why this man was born blind. But it doesn’t. It begins by first telling us that Jesus saw this blind man… His eyes fell upon this broken man. This makes me think that God wants us to really get something. First – Jesus saw him. We don’t see like Jesus. May I suggest that even today, the majority of our society (certainly not everyone) tends to not “see” disabled people. Think about that… all we need to do is look at the parable of the Good Samaritan… how people crossed to the opposite side of the road to avoid contact with the beaten up man laying on the same side they were walking. There could be many reasons for this avoidance, with not knowing what to say topping the list.
As a person with a disability, my plea is… don’t walk away. Even if you don’t know what to say, trust God to give you the right words. Chances are that you’re not going to say the perfect thing. But we all make a ton of mistakes at something before we feel comfortable enough. You’d be amazed at the conversations that could happen. Love covers a multitude of mistakes, and God’s amazing grace and mercy abounds 🙂