Welcome back. I hope you are well. Today, we’re reading John chapters 9 and 10.

I’ve always loved the verses in John 10, especially where Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10, NIV)

That sounds like a good deal. Before I was a Christian, I thought following Jesus meant giving up everything fun or fulfilling. But what I’ve learned is that the things I gave up were actually blinding me from the life Jesus wanted to give me—a life more abundant than anything I had known before.

Who Sinned? 

Let’s back up to the beginning of John 9, where the disciples ask Jesus: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2)

Jesus answers: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned… but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)

This challenges the Jewish assumption that suffering is always the result of sin. And it echoes Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

God’s Purpose 

As I’ve shared before, a car wreck broke my spine thirty-nine years ago, disabling me. Did I have sin in my life? Absolutely. It was sin that had made me blind to the Gospel. But that’s not why God allowed the accident.

God had—and still has—a plan for me. He has used my physical limitations to open the gate for many lost sheep who might have been reluctant to hear His voice otherwise.

A Higher Calling

Several years ago, my employer sent me to Chicago for six months. I had been serving in the AWANA ministry at our church in Tucson, but I wanted to stay involved while away. I found a church launching an Upward Basketball program—a league that teaches kids not just how to play, but how to live like Christ.

When they introduced me to my team, I heard the grumbling. They saw a coach in a wheelchair and assumed they were on the losing team. What they didn’t know was that I had played wheelchair basketball, received excellent coaching, and had coached my nephews’ teams.

That season, we only lost one game—the one I missed for a work trip to California. The kids grew to respect me, and more importantly, they saw Christ in me. Several accepted the Lord as Savior.

When I returned to Tucson, I shared the story with our AWANA kids. That night, many more children accepted the Lord.

God made my disability become His ability to reach those children.

Asking the Right “Why”

What I’ve learned through this and other experiences is that when we face affliction, we shouldn’t ask, “Why is this happening to me?” as if we’re being punished. Instead, we should ask, “Why is this happening?”—as in, “What is God’s purpose in this?”

He always has a plan. And we must listen for His voice to discover it.

The Voice That Leads to Life

Ultimately, it’s all to glorify the One who laid down His life for us. “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:18)

Because He gave His life, He paid our debt. He took it up again, because He is God (v 10:17). Because He lives, we can live too.

When we listen to His voice, we come to see the truth. And those of us who were spiritually blind can once again see. (v 9:39)

Tomorrow, we will read John 11-12.