“He told them, The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” – John 9:11

We all face troubles in life, but how we react to those troubles makes all the difference. In the book of John, we find Jesus healing a blind man with some mud that Jesus made from dirt mixed with His spit. I’m sure that the blind man heard all of that happening. Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud, and wiped it on the man’s eyes. It’s almost adding insult to injury, in that not only is the man blind, but now some joker is putting some spit-mud on him. However, Jesus was more than just some other guy and the blind man knew it.

The blind man trusted Jesus and that was what made the miracle happen. I’m certain that the blind man didn’t ask Jesus to spit and make mud to be healed with. Frankly, if it was one of us in that situation, we probably would have asked if there was a cleaner, less spit-filled way of healing us. The blind man wasn’t like that. He believed that he would be healed and that Jesus had his best interests in mind, even thought maybe it wasn’t the way the man would have chosen first. He didn’t question the methods, he just believed in the outcome.

Too often, we pray for everything to go well. We want nothing but peace in our lives with no struggles. I’m not saying that praying for good things is a bad thing, but just like a muscle, we can’t grow unless we are put under stress sometimes. You don’t become a runner without running. Just the same, you can’t have humility without being humbled. Thank God that there are some trying times, because they give us a chance to exercise those virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Like the story of the blind man, the disciples asked Jesus who sinned to make the man blind. Our Lord replied, “This happened so the power of God could be displayed in him.” It’s not the ideal situation and not something we would ask for, but if it meant being saved for all of eternity and helping other souls to become saved as well, then it was well worth it.

You might ask, “But isn’t there another way?”

God’s ways are so far above our ways, as the heavens are above the earth. I promise you that the plan that our Creator has is better than anything you or I could come up with. The Apostle Paul spoke of “a thorn in his side,” meaning Paul had some sort of medical condition or something that kept plaguing him. He asked God to take it way, to which God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you.” It is when we are weak that we are strong in Christ. If we think that we can change our own ways and live a blessed life, we are only fooling ourselves. Men and women will fail, but with God, all things are possible.

Jesus died on the cross to save our souls. God could have done it any way He saw fit, yet He still chose to save us through the pain and anguish of the cross. He took the punishment we couldn’t. God has a plan for our lives and it’s not for us to second guess His ways. If the blind man would have slapped Jesus’ hands away from his eyes, the blind man would still have been blind. God wants you blessed. He wants you to see the greatness of what He has in store for you. If you think, “But that’s not how I would have done it,” then get your so-called plan out of the way of God’s perfect plan and watch Him turn your life into something extraordinary. Trust in the Lord and He will take you higher than you could imagine.

God’s blessings to you.

DH