What we think we see.

A man born blind receives sight. - John 9: 1-41

We like explanations. We like causes. We like to be able to point to something and say: "that’s why this is happening".

When the disciples encounter the man born blind, they don’t begin with compassion - they begin with a question of cause:

Who sinned? they ask. Who is responsible for this?

It is such a human response. If we can explain suffering, we can manage it. If we can assign blame, we can create distance. If we can define the problem, we can reassure ourselves that it won’t happen to us.

But Jesus refuses to play that game.

He does not answer their question the way they expect. He does not give them a tidy explanation. Instead, he shifts the focus entirely. This is not about blame, it is about what God can do here and now.

That shift matters because sometimes the greatest blindness in our lives is not what we cannot see - it is the assumption that we see clearly. We assume we understand. We assume we know who is at fault. We assume we see the full picture.

But what if we don’t?

What if part of our spiritual journey is learning to recognize where our vision has been shaped by assumptions, fears, and categories that no longer serve the truth?

Today, take a moment to notice where you might be trying to explain instead of simply seeing. Where are you rushing to judgment? Where are you trying to make sense of something instead of opening yourself to what God might reveal?

Sometimes the first step toward sight is admitting we do not yet see.

God of truth, when I rush to explain instead of to see, slow me down. When I cling to easy answers, open me to deeper understanding. Help me to release my need to assign blame and instead trust that you are at work in ways I cannot yet perceive. Give me the humility to admit what I do not see, and the courage to let you lead me into greater light. Amen.

^{This piece is offered by Sterling United Methodist Church and was written in collaboration between Rev. Bert Cloud and Sharon Rosenfeld. It is inspired by the book Seven Miracles: Signs of Life in the Gospel of John by Gina Anderson-Cloud, Megan Dietrick, Bill Gray, Daniel Park, Isaiah Park & Lauren Todd}