The Blessings Of Hearing Loss

I am all for praising God and thanking Him for the blessings that

we receive. It's easy to do when things are going well, or we get

what we were praying for. 

But, what about praising God during turmoil, or for something

that we won't fully understand until we go Home? 

It has been put upon my heart to try and find the good in 

having a hearing loss. To try and have a thankful heart about

something that I feel has brought me much pain, embarrassment,

and frustration. 

At first, I just shrugged at the thought, and said to myself,

"That's easy, I can fall asleep without my husband keeping me 

awake with his snoring!" But, I knew that God meant for me 

to go beyond that.... far beyond that. So, I started thinking, 

"What in the world could I be thankful for about my hearing loss?"

Good grief! It seemed a hard question with even harder answers. 

After I began taking the question more seriously, the first

thing that came to mind was my dependence on God. We 

quickly became good friends in my childhood. I would talk

to Him whenever I was afraid. (This was usually at bedtime,

while laying in the dark, unable to hear much of anything.)

I would talk to Him like a friend, pray out loud with my small

hands clasped together until I fell fast asleep.

My hearing loss is a constant reminder that I am blessed 

to be alive right now. As a newborn, I nearly died. They

expected me to die. My mother told me that I was nicknamed

"Miracle Baby".  I often wonder if my hearing loss is a 

reminder from God that he allowed me to live and experience

all that He has to offer. 

Being hearing impaired, I miss a lot of spoken language. 

I am often unaware of what I am missing. This is a 

blessing in that I generally miss dirty jokes, inappropriate

language, and sometimes, I miss the rude comments that

were meant to hurt me. 

I think that having a hearing loss has given me a larger heart.

I try to help many. I know what it's like to need the help 

of others on a regular basis. 

I think that it has made me sensitive to the pain of others. 

I know what it's like to be hurt or humiliated for something 

that is completely out of my control. And, I hate to see 

others suffer. 

It has also made me very grateful for this life, and those who 

share it with me. Many people walk away once they realize 

that I am hearing impaired. But, for those who stay, for those

who get to know me, for those who love me, I am very grateful. 

I'm not saying that hearing people are incapable of being 

sensitive, grateful, or giving. I am saying that if I were

a hearing person, I believe that I would not be able to be as

sensitive, grateful, or as giving as I can be as a person with a 

profound hearing loss. 

So now I wonder. 

Is my hearing loss a reminder that I am blessed to be alive?

Or did I nearly die so that I could be given the blessing

of hearing loss? 

I never thought of my hearing loss as being a blessing 

from God............until now.