Pain Upon Pain

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him. John 9:3

I have the opportunity to hear many people’s stories. Sometimes the pain they share is unimaginably difficult. However, at times, friends, family, and spiritual advisers compound the pain with unrighteous theology.

In the Bible, Job was said to be “blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil” (Job 1:1). So righteous was Job that one day there was a conversation about him in the courts of heaven, and God granted Satan permission to test Job (Job 1:8-12). Satan wiped out all Job’s possessions, livestock, and livelihood and took his children. He left Job’s wife, who encouraged Job to “curse God and die.” Then Job’s friends, one by one, came by and said what many might say today to compound pain, “Oh, all this must be because of something you did. Got a secret sin?”

One of our new friends said he and his family had to face this lie themselves when they pulled away from a legalistic church that was filled with guilt and self-righteousness. After being gone just a week, they received news from their doctor that their baby daughter had a terminal illness. The pastor of that church visited them just to say, “It is a judgment from God for leaving our church for another.”

But the truths of Scripture, such as John 9:1-11, made this couple say, “No! That’s not right!”

Refuse guilt that is not yours. If you are walking with God and tough times come, don’t look inward for a secret sin; rather, look upward where you’ll find hope!