Now I know how it feels.
Not very good.
I’ve always had great hearing; in fact, growing up, the boys thought I had super powers when I could hear them at a distance when they were up to something!
Being able to hear very well may have had something to do with my not always taking time to speak very clearly and a little louder for Gary to hear me easily the first time I said something. One Sunday before church, he suddenly went almost deaf in one ear — in fact, the doctor called it sudden hearing loss syndrome.
We both had had to learn to adjust as we worked through his getting hearing aids and learning how to cope with the challenge of communicating.
When the family visited over the Fourth of July, the sons put on a fireworks show for us! It was so beautiful, and we enjoyed it on the deck and also by the pond on the pier.
As one display went off, I felt my ear kinda ping! After that, my hearing seemed muffled and tinny. The third day of the problem, I went to the doctor who said it would probably go away and gave me a shot, drops and some medicine.
I’ve noticed in the week that followed that my hearing has improved, but there is still a strange quality to the sounds. Some voices seem to cut through in an annoying manner — high and shrill. Sometimes I don’t catch all of what someone says. In noisy places, the sounds come alive and crowd my hearing into a dull roar.
As we get older, we have to accommodate each other and our health quirks. We have some funny “conversations” talking about different things, mishearing each other!
A sense of humor is so important to a relationship!
The Bible tells us about hearing — physical hearing and spiritual hearing.
Romans 10:17 tells us, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
We hear the Gospel when we are told how Jesus is the only Son of God, who died on the cross for all our sins and offers us salvation and forgiveness when we trust Him as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins. We hear first with our ears and then the Holy Spirit speaks truth to our spirit.
Matthew 11:15 says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” God’s plan is for all to hear his plan of salvation and eternal life.
Hebrews 3:7-8 tells us, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.’” Rejecting what you hear from God is a dangerous act with eternal consequences.
As Luke says in 11:28, “But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
What “hearing aids” do we have when we try to listen to hear God speak to us? Sometimes God speaks to us with conviction and a message when we are in the middle of sin to call us back to righteousness. Sometimes God speaks with clarity and sudden understanding like a light bulb going on over a truth such as in salvation. Sometimes God speaks in a situation to get our attention and show us truth. God speaks many, many ways.
Seeking Him in repentance and meditating on His Word is another way to tune into what He is showing you.
How do you listen to God? How does He speak to you?
Need to turn your hearing aids up?
