It is so good to be back in Vienna! I had a wonderful time of meeting with prospective teachers, former staff members (Jeffrey and Lisa Schra send their greetings), friends, and family. At the very end of the recruitment trip, I was able to spend a whole day with my granddaughter who is now three. One of the lessons that she learned in preschool was about the miracle that Jesus performed to make the blind man see (John 9). She wanted to reenact what she had learned over and over again. Then she asked a really deep question – one that even adults struggle with – “Why can some people see and some people can’t see?”
Sometimes we can’t seem to find answers to the big questions of life. We almost have a deep-seeded need to understand everything that happens in the world. But we are not God. Our finite minds aren’t made to comprehend all of God’s mysteries. When the former blind man was asked who it was that had healed him and whether he was sent from God or was a sinner, his response was, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. But I do know this: I was blind, and now I can see” (John 9:25). Like the blind man, I am able to say that I don’t always understand why God has chosen to do things the way He has, but I can say that by faith I accept His promises. He is an all-knowing, almighty God that loves me and is working in my life to make me more like Him. Whether He uses illness or poverty or other struggles, I can trust Him. So why can some people see and some people can’t? God has a reason. In John 9:3 Jesus told them why He had healed the blind man: “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” God sometimes uses our weaknesses to show His strength.
Last night at Praise Night we sang “I Breathe You In, God.” Some of the words were, “And when I don’t understand, I will choose You… I will choose to love You, God.” The older I get, the more I am able to let go of things that don’t make sense from a human standpoint. I do know that because of His great love, Jesus came to earth to become a human being. That is why He is able to relate to our disabilities, understand our weaknesses, and identify with our pain. This is truly a God whom I can trust!
Because of His Faithfulness,
Sharon C. Brobst, Ed.D.
Director