Our text for this week is the healing of a man born blind and the ensuing controversy among with the Pharisees that follows in John 9. The text begins with the disciples asking whose sin caused this man to be born blind. Jesus responds, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of the one who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work."
Now to be honest, it is not an easy thing for me to think of God allowing someone to be born blind so that God's works might be revealed. But perhaps that is a question for another day. And perhaps it speaks more to my own fears of blindness than to anything else.
My picture for today was intended to reflect the idea of having to work "while it is day." As I am reflecting on that phrase, I find myself quite resistant to what it might mean. It suggests an urgency to God's mission. It suggests an end point, a night fall, a period when the mission is no longer possible... I don't really like to think about that. I prefer to think that I have all the time in the world to get things right, to straighten things out, to say the things that need to be said. But that just isn't true, is it? There are end points in life. People die. People grow old and opportunities begin to fade away. People run out of time for health or child birth or healing of relationships or careers and callings.
I say all this not to be pessimistic, though that is at times in my nature, but to help myself come to grips with the limits in my life. They are not a bad thing. Just a part of being human. And they should push us to live each day with a bit more intentionality, to make choices that reflect our priorities and values, to stop putting off for today what may not be possible tomorrow. What are the works that I am called to do while it is day? What have I been sent for?
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