Purposeful Suffering
As he 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 work 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 9:1-3
I love the Bible. The stories I grew up learning in childhood came together in my teens as one story and I have loved it ever since. As I get older (and, hopefully, more mature) I still love it, but I love it differently than before.
Before, I saw an organized system of redemption. Now, I see my personal Redeemer with personalized messages for me. Before, I saw a unified story, the Gospel, and its outcome, my salvation. Now, I see the main "character," Jesus, and the purpose of His coming, His glory.
My son was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). It is a scary diagnosis with a long road ahead that includes at least three surgeries and a heart transplant. There are no guarantees as to how long we will have him with us. There are many questions, short and long term. Within the unknowns and questions and scary moments, the message from Jesus to us has been clear: "this is not his fault and it is not your fault. Like everything else, in every story, this is for my glory."
That's not always the answer we want to accept, if we are honest. It's certainly not an answer that suggests an easy road. But there is a strange comfort to it, like sitting on a rock after a long hike in the sun. The rock isn't comfortable, but it is a solid, real relief in the midst of the straining.
People today make the mistake the disciples did with Jesus in John 9, assuming hardship is the result of their sin or the sin of someone else. Jesus reminds them, then, and us, now, that sometimes it's not anyone's fault. Sometimes suffering just IS. It exists and it's uncomfortable and, often, unimaginably difficult. But it is never, ever purposeless.
God is at work in our story - in Benji's story. He is ready to work in yours, too.
