As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” 

John 9:1–3

Recently, my brother reminded me that when we were teenagers, I was notorious for throwing him under the bus at home. If we came in from attending an event at which something had taken place that would have bothered our parents, I always blurted out any role my brother might have played in it. It was as if I couldn’t get rid of the information or deflect any blame fast enough. Fortunately, my brother is a forgiving soul, and we are still great friends. Unfortunately, the older I get, the more aware I am of how often this aspect of human nature rears its ugly head in relationships. 

When we encounter someone’s difficulty, we tend to assign blame—almost immediately. Our discomfort seems to almost propel us to find a way to distance ourselves from the situation. The story in John 9 is no different. Upon encountering the man born blind, Jesus’s disciples are driven to find out who is at fault for his condition. Worse than that, they assign moral blame in the process. Who sinned? Implied in their question is that disability is a form of punishment for personal sin. The assumptions behind this thinking are twofold: (1) this should never have happened, and (2) someone is morally to blame.

I love how Jesus simply reverses their thinking. He starts by clearing the innocent parties of any wrong. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents.” Next, he informs the disciples that indeed this man’s life experience is part of God’s purposeful plan to do good work in and through the man’s life.

For those who trust in Christ, God’s unwavering faithfulness always works for our good and his glory. Not only is this true when we encounter disability, but I dare to say that it is even truer when we do. Jesus declared that people with disabilities are assured that God’s goodness and glory is on display, in bold relief—especially in the face of challenging circumstances. Your child’s disability isn’t a form of punishment for someone’s wrongdoing. Nor was God asleep at the switch. He has a good and purposeful plan for your child’s life and yours. Do you believe that?

— Stephanie O. Hubach, author, Parenting & Disabilities