The idea for this book was born when I was reading the story in John 9. Jesus was walking with His disciples when they saw a man blind from birth. The disciples, confused, asked, “Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” They assumed all suffering must have a guilty cause. But Jesus shocked them with His answer: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
That passage opened my eyes. It showed me that suffering can have different sources. Sometimes, it is not the individual’s fault. Sometimes, it is not the parent’s fault. Sometimes, it is not even society’s or the nation’s fault—it is a mystery that God uses for a higher purpose. But more often than we admit, suffering does not come from heaven. It comes from people—individuals, parents, societies, and nations making mistakes that produce pain.
Many people suffer because of their own actions. Laziness leads to poverty. Addiction leads to disease. Crime leads to prison. A man who makes foolish choices cannot later lift his hands to heaven and say, “This was God’s plan.” His suffering is not divine—it is personal. The seeds he planted grew into his own thorns.
Children often pay the price for the mistakes of their parents. A child raised in abuse carries wounds into adulthood. A child neglected in poverty because the parent wasted resources grows up disadvantaged. A father’s violence or a mother’s neglect can echo into generations. When a child suffers, it is not always because of their own choices, but because of a parent’s failure.
Sometimes, even good parents and responsible individuals cannot shield a child from the failures of society. A corrupt education system leaves children unprepared. A violent neighborhood shapes them in fear. A culture that normalizes immorality drags them into brokenness. Society has a voice, and when it speaks foolishness, the innocent often pay.
Nations, too, bring suffering when they embrace corruption, injustice, and greed. A child in a war zone suffers not because of their choices, but because leaders chose pride over peace. Citizens in poverty-stricken countries suffer not because God cursed them, but because their nation failed them. When a nation is dark, even the righteous suffer within it.
The story of the blind man in John 9 is rare. In that case, his suffering was not caused by himself, his parents, society, or his nation. It was permitted for a purpose—to display God’s works. But many other cases are not like his. They are not mysteries from heaven. They are the predictable outcomes of human failure.
That is why we must learn to examine suffering with wisdom. Before saying, “It must be God’s will,” we must ask: did I bring this on myself? Did my parents’ choices affect me? Is my society broken? Has my nation failed? Because only when we admit the true cause of suffering can we begin to heal it.
The blind man’s story reminds us of two things. First, not all suffering is a punishment. Sometimes, it is simply a mystery we cannot explain. Second, much of the suffering we see around us is preventable—if only individuals, parents, societies, and nations would live uprightly.
Suffering is real. But the source matters. When it is caused by our own foolishness, repentance and responsibility are the answer. When it is caused by parents, forgiveness and healing are the answer. When it is caused by society, reform and values are the answer. When it is caused by nations, justice and integrity are the answer. And when it is a mystery beyond our understanding, trust is the answer.
The world will continue to suffer until people stop baptizing their failures as God’s will and start living in uprightness. The blind man was healed to display God’s glory. But most of us do not need to be blind to glorify God. We simply need to make wise choices, live uprightly, and stop causing suffering for ourselves and others.
That passage opened my eyes. It showed me that suffering can have different sources. Sometimes, it is not the individual’s fault. Sometimes, it is not the parent’s fault. Sometimes, it is not even society’s or the nation’s fault—it is a mystery that God uses for a higher purpose. But more often than we admit, suffering does not come from heaven. It comes from people—individuals, parents, societies, and nations making mistakes that produce pain.
Many people suffer because of their own actions. Laziness leads to poverty. Addiction leads to disease. Crime leads to prison. A man who makes foolish choices cannot later lift his hands to heaven and say, “This was God’s plan.” His suffering is not divine—it is personal. The seeds he planted grew into his own thorns.
Children often pay the price for the mistakes of their parents. A child raised in abuse carries wounds into adulthood. A child neglected in poverty because the parent wasted resources grows up disadvantaged. A father’s violence or a mother’s neglect can echo into generations. When a child suffers, it is not always because of their own choices, but because of a parent’s failure.
Sometimes, even good parents and responsible individuals cannot shield a child from the failures of society. A corrupt education system leaves children unprepared. A violent neighborhood shapes them in fear. A culture that normalizes immorality drags them into brokenness. Society has a voice, and when it speaks foolishness, the innocent often pay.
Nations, too, bring suffering when they embrace corruption, injustice, and greed. A child in a war zone suffers not because of their choices, but because leaders chose pride over peace. Citizens in poverty-stricken countries suffer not because God cursed them, but because their nation failed them. When a nation is dark, even the righteous suffer within it.
The story of the blind man in John 9 is rare. In that case, his suffering was not caused by himself, his parents, society, or his nation. It was permitted for a purpose—to display God’s works. But many other cases are not like his. They are not mysteries from heaven. They are the predictable outcomes of human failure.
That is why we must learn to examine suffering with wisdom. Before saying, “It must be God’s will,” we must ask: did I bring this on myself? Did my parents’ choices affect me? Is my society broken? Has my nation failed? Because only when we admit the true cause of suffering can we begin to heal it.
The blind man’s story reminds us of two things. First, not all suffering is a punishment. Sometimes, it is simply a mystery we cannot explain. Second, much of the suffering we see around us is preventable—if only individuals, parents, societies, and nations would live uprightly.
Suffering is real. But the source matters. When it is caused by our own foolishness, repentance and responsibility are the answer. When it is caused by parents, forgiveness and healing are the answer. When it is caused by society, reform and values are the answer. When it is caused by nations, justice and integrity are the answer. And when it is a mystery beyond our understanding, trust is the answer.
The world will continue to suffer until people stop baptizing their failures as God’s will and start living in uprightness. The blind man was healed to display God’s glory. But most of us do not need to be blind to glorify God. We simply need to make wise choices, live uprightly, and stop causing suffering for ourselves and others.
