This has been a
challenging week. I'm not referring to
anything that has been happening in the world. I'm not talking about the fluctuation in the
weather or the stock market. I'm not
even talking about the still high cost of eggs (and what are our plans for
dying Easter eggs this year? Someone
suggested using potatoes. I'm not seeing
an Easter Spud Hunt.)
No, I'm talking about
something that is really troubling in my life and there is nothing that I can
do to naturally overcome it: it's hearing loss. Yeah. You heard it right. Hearing loss. This past week, it seems like my hearing has
taken a turn for the worse. I think it
is the barometric pressure - a change in the weather patterns. It could also be the tinnitus which I have
self-diagnosed myself as having (I will know more in a couple of weeks because
I have an appointment with a hearing specialist at Mayo). I'm really hoping that this is a short-term
deal, but I don't know. It's tough to
grow older, I guess.
It's not a great feeling
all round. Nobody's happy.
Apart from setting up an
appointment with a hearing specialist who can change the course of my life,
there really isn't much I can do. I can
turn to scripture for help, but there isn't much that said in the Bible about
someone who is losing their hearing. The
Bible doesn't explicitly address hearing loss as a physical condition, but it
does use the imagery of "deaf ears" metaphorically to describe
spiritual blindness or a refusal to listen to God's word. While that might be timely for the world we
live in right now, it's not really applicable to what I am dealing with.
I could study what it
means to be patient. The Bible
encourages believers to be patient in trials, to wait upon God, and practice
patience in their relationships. Key
passages highlight patience as a fruit of the Spirit and a path to peace and
understanding. One example of a biblical
passage about patience comes from Romans 12:12: "Rejoice in hope, be
patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer". I certainly could and will follow that
advice.
I can even appreciate how
God makes it a point to single out the older adults among us (which I am now a
part of) - listen to these words from Isaiah 46:4: "God promises to
continue carrying his people through old age, stating, "And I'll keep on
carrying you when you're old. I'll be
there, bearing you when you're old and gray. I've done it and will keep on doing it,
carrying you on my back, saving you" (paraphrased from The Message). I know I have the gray hairs that are a
requirement for this passage!
These are all helpful. I know I will not always have weeks like this.
I'm actually looking forward to the
results of my appointment and what it might mean - to hear clearly again. And to my friends or strangers who are reading
this post, I offer a word of encouragement and advice - please, do not take
your hearing for granted. It is just one
of the precious gifts of being human.
You hear me?