Confession: I have a hearing problem. Not one relating to decibel level, but one of
comprehension. I often hear the words
one said, but construe them to a completely different word. Typically, this process destroys the meaning of
the sentence, ruins a good joke or just leaves me looking at the other with a
dumbfounded expression. The problem
grows worse as each year passes. I
learned to simply ask in a kind way for a repeat of the sentence to understand
the flow of conversation.
The hard times come when my daughter or son says something and
I misconstrue or ask for a rewind of what they said. Both get frustrated with me or sometimes
think they used incorrect grammar or feel they need to shout at me. It is not a decibel problem, but a
comprehension problem.
One day, I was in the shower (I know, too much info; sorry,
it helps me in this situation to include this detail) and my daughter decides
to come hold a conversation in the bathroom.
The shower running along with the fan did not coincide well with my
hearing problem. She spoke what seemed
to be an important sentence which I did not understand. I asked for a repeat. . .still not
understanding, asked for another repeat. . .“Okay,” I said, “One more time,
honey, I did not catch what you said.”
With that, frustration arose. “Mom,
will just listen to what I am saying.”
Of course, explaining my problem to a six year old is quite difficult;
but, I tried anyhow. In the end, she
explained the sentence to me, forgave for the misunderstanding and moved on
with the day.
This exact problem carries over to my spiritual life as
well. More of you may relate to this
aspect of my problem than the above mentioned.
No matter the decibel God uses when speaking to me, I still stand at
risk of not comprehended the message clearly.
The Truth lay right in front of my eyes; yet, somewhere between eyes and
mind, the message construes. This
process destroys the meaning behind the message which then leads to a snowball
effect of wrong choices. This repeated
itself often in the beginning of my Christian journey. Luckily, this hearing problem grows weaker as
each year passes. The weaker it becomes,
the stronger my bond with God.
Thankfully, God never showed frustration or felt the need to
send a different message due to my misunderstanding. He stood faithful in His Promises and simply
waited for clarity to come to the situation.
His arms never closed, His grace never ran empty.
Many “things” creep into daily living which aggravates our
spiritual hearing problem. You know
those days when the enemy keeps knocking at the door with lie after lie to drown
the voice of God. The moments when the
day goes nothing like we planned. Pain
and suffering spin out of control leaving us dizzy in its dust unable to think
clearly. Or, we simply don’t want to
hear the answer He provides due to the difficulty in taking that step, the
faith needed to follow His Truth or the world tells us it can’t happen. Guess what my friends, it can happen. Faith will see you through and strength will
abound. The steps may be difficult, but
be patient; He will provide everything you need with each step taken in His
direction.
Listen closely, for He will not raise His decibel to extreme
measures to gain attention. He speaks
softly and repeatedly until we finally grasp His Truth. He forgives all who come in repentance no
matter the span of time taken to finally comprehend His Word. As we take Him as Lord and Savior over our
lives and continue to lay it all at the cross daily, He provides grace, love
and guidance to move on with the day.
Seek Him first and patiently wait in His Presence until completely
understanding the next step in your journey.
“let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the
discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and
parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise
wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs
1:5-7
Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig
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