Say Yes When Life Says NoSample

Healing is an absolute promise for all Christians, but the promise may not be fulfilled until we dwell in eternity. By focusing only on the healing power of Jesus, we completely ignore what Mr. Blind Man did to facilitate his healing. For me this is the life-changing message of the story. 

What is striking about John 9 is that it opens with this: “As [Jesus] went along, He saw a man blind from birth” (v. 1). The fact that a blind man was on the road before Jesus arrived, situated where Jesus would see him shows us that Mr. Blind Man played a role in his healing.

If we limit ourselves to what we already have and know, we will not find what is new and unknown. To get beyond whatever has not been delivered to our doorstep, we must commit to seeing the details that surround us every day. That seeing may not happen with our eyes. But like Mr. Blind Man, we see in our spirits that there is more going on than what our eyes see. We must develop our ability to notice what others fail to see.

Your first yes is to acknowledge that the result you are hoping for is possible and that it may very well lie outside the realm of what is familiar to you. If you go on your way—and down new roads, you’ll be much more likely to find it than if you assume nothing will ever change and no new possibilities exist for you. Mr. Blind Man teaches us how to begin the process of reaching beyond our no.

The next lesson he teaches us is that hope and possibility are always ours for possessing. Mr. Blind Man seemed to believe that something good might happen to him. If possibility did not exist, why would he get out of bed? If we don’t believe a possibility exists for things to get better, depression and feelings of failure will surround us too. 

Saying yes when life says no to our situation requires us to focus our yes on Jesus (not His healing or our circumstance) and move forward in honesty and action. For me this became the works that needed to accompany my faith: “As the body without the spirit it dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26).

What nos have your attention? Has this benefitted you?