All kinds of diseases beseech us as we grow old. One that has caused me a lot of problems lately has to do with hearing loss. As Maxine says, “I’m not hard of hearing. I’ve just heard enough.” This loss has made it difficult to watch TV without captions. The captions, however, are often wrong. They can create some humorous dialogue if you watch closely. For example, on the local news, they were commenting on someone who had been fired even after being on the job for over 6 years. The caption read, “after being on the John for over 6 years.” No wonder they got fired.
Captions aren’t the only problem. I’ve tried reading lips and that works sometimes, but when the person you’re talking to has a beard and moustache, you can’t always see their lips. When that same person is your spouse and he’s the same age as you, their ability to speak has weakened making it even harder to hear them, it can lead to major communication problems. Those problems can lead to misinterpretation and wrong thinking. I’ve thought about hearing aids, but those of my friends who own them claim they aren’t a cure all and they don’t always work. So, I live with my hearing loss and make up some interesting dialogue of my own.
Hearing is one of the most important parts of human conversation and communication. If we don’t listen, can’t listen, or won’t listen, we’re losing out on half of the discussion. When you add white noise to the mix you come up with various sounds on different frequencies that lead to total confusion. So how do we get rid of this troublesome disease? Of course there are medical reasons for hearing loss. For example, I was told by one doctor that working with young children for so long could have caused it, because of the higher frequency of their little voices. Sometimes it can be caused by fluid on the inner ear or other extenuating circumstances. There are ways of treating this malady, but the art of listening requires more than a physician.
The Bible speaks about this subject in various situations.
- Proverbs 4:20-21 ESV “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.”
- Proverbs 28:9 ESV “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
- Matthew 11:15 ESV “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Romans 10:17 ESV “ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
There are many references to the ears in the Bible. When we have no problem hearing, there’s no excuse for not listening. When we refuse to listen, it’s called selective hearing. When we don’t open our ears, we become victims of misunderstanding and other problems. The beauty of the gift of clearly hearing will open the door to building our faith. Hearing the Word of God is the beginning of understanding. It will unhitch the gate of communication and problem solving. When you’ve lost the ability to hear, do whatever is necessary to rectify the problem. However, some things are definitely better unsaid.
atimetoshare.me 
The first part of this is absolutely hilarious! I enjoyed the laughing it generated. Thanks so much. On a more serious note, this piece spoke volumes to me. I’m one of those old folks who’ve had problems with hearing loss for some time. I used to joke with my wife about not taking responsibility for something that I never heard. She would often tell me that she told me about something weeks, months ago. My response would be, “You know I can’t hear worth a darn.”
I finally decided five months ago to get some hearing aids. I’m going to a clinic that does more than sell hearing aids. This place provides a full set of services over a four-year contractual period which includes things such as: hearing evaluations, suggestions for making the hearing aids more effective, how to live with hearing loss, and a plethora of other services, including online information helpful to those with hearing loss.
I recall when I came home with the hearing aids in, I thought, well, I can’t tell my wife any longer that I didn’t hear her. These things have improved my experiences in personal relationships, in church, small group meetings… Life better in numerous ways.
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Glad I made you chuckle. We have to laugh when we get older, otherwise we’d go crazy🥸
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Love the message here Sister . . . my husband and I suffer from some hearing loss and have taken to shouting at each other. His is worse then mine so I do most of the shouting. Thinking of getting two mini megaphones to see it that will help!
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Makes for interesting conversations.
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Funny (not clear) hearing story.
One time I took my parents out to eat. On the way we passed a car that had an unusual license plate. My Dad seeing it commented, “Hmm, I woder where that guy’s from?”
My Mother very indignately, turned around toward the back seat, and said to my Dad, “Calling the poor guy a drunk is a very unkind thing to say about someone you don’t know!”
Kathy, this is a great post with wonderful Biblical reminders! Have a great day.
Blessings~
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Love your story. That sort of thing happens at my house all the time.
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I can imagine!
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Kathy, I am a day late and a dollar or two short on keeping up with Hurricane Helene news. Do you keep in contact with Julie? I wonder if she was affected by the storm. A friend from near the Smokie Mountains sent me a video of a rock slide and the news has stories of highways washed away and people without power. I am praying regardless.
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I just texted her to find out if she was hit by the storm. I have kind of lost touch with her since she isn’t blogging anymore. I’ll let you know what I find out and will pray for her too.
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Thanks.
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Julie responded. She is safe but had to be evacuated and won’t be able to return to her home until the end of the month. At least we know she’s safe for now. Keep praying that she has a house to return to.
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I will. That bear may discover she is gone and move into the house in her absence. I guess that is just one part of that tragedy to pray about. My friend from Maryville, TN, who is fine with no damage, shared videos from nearby that showed a lot of devastation, and I was happily in my basement writing and missed the whole thing. We barely got any rain at all here in the PA area – drought all summer long.
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We’ve been having a mini drought here in Lake Woebegone, but can’t complain about the summer temps. My sister lives in Nashville and my daughter in Greenville, SC and storms hit all around them but not on them. So grateful.
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It often comes down to the small things. They let you know that God is still in control.
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