An Unlikely Blessing

Bible Reading: John 9:1-12

Rich couldn’t wait to meet his baby brother, Patrick. When his aunt brought him to the hospital and led him to his mom’s room, Rich beamed when he saw Patrick in Mom’s arms. He quickly went over to see him. “Hello, Patrick!” he said, gently touching the soft blanket wrapped around the baby. “I’m your big brother, Rich. I’m so happy to see you! Welcome to our family.”

Rich noticed that his mom’s eyes were red. “What’s wrong with your eyes, Mom?” he asked. “Have you been crying?”

His mom nodded. “Yes. I’ve been crying out of joy because I’m so happy to finally have Patrick here with us, but I’ve also been crying because of his condition.”

Rich was puzzled. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?”

Mom was not able to answer immediately. She took a deep breath and replied, “Patrick has no right hand, and he only has three fingers on his left hand.”

Rich was shocked. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “But—I don’t understand!” he said. “I thought having a baby was a blessing. How could Patrick be born this way?”

“I don’t know why God allowed this to happen,” his mom answered. “But one thing’s for sure—Patrick is a blessing from God. He may have physical limitations, but God loves him, and God loves us, and that’s why he gave us Patrick.”

Mom reached over and squeezed Rich’s hand. “Remember what Jesus said in the Bible about the man who was born blind? Before He healed him of his blindness, Jesus told His disciples that the man was born blind so that the works of God might be shown in his life. I’m praying that the same will be true of Patrick. I know God can use this difficulty in his life to do wonderful things that point people to the healing power of Jesus and the gift of eternal life He offers each one of us.”

“I’ll pray for that too,” Rich said. He smiled and kissed his baby brother on the head. “I’m so glad God has blessed us with Patrick.”

-Golda Dilema

How About You?

Has God ever used a bad thing that happened in your life to do something good? In the Bible, Jesus used a man’s blindness to show people that He was the Son of God who had come to heal their sinful hearts. He can use a difficult situation in your life to help people know who He is too. It’s okay to feel sad when He allows something bad to happen in your life. You can still trust Him to use it to bring blessings to you and those around you.

Today’s Key Verse:
John 9:3 Jesus answered, “The sin of this man…did not make him
to be born blind. He was born blind so the work of God
would be seen in him.” (NLV)

Today’s Key Thought:

God can use difficulties for good