Last Fall I received word that my 86 year-old-mother was not doing very well health-wise and so I took the 3000 mile flight back to Ohio to spend several weeks with her. She had just gone home from an extended time in the hospital and was very weak when I arrived. Within a week she was doing so much better that I decided to pursue a project that had been thought of by the family but never pursued because of my mom's resistance - that of obtaining hearing aids.For years my mother's hearing had eroded so much that you could sit at the table and carry on a conversation with another person (with her sitting there as well) and she could not hear anything you were saying. My phone conversations from the west coast turned into more of a shouting match in order for her to hear me. Many times I would say something and her response would be about a totally different subject because she thought I said something else. Watching television with her was hilarious because she had the volume turned way up high and then she would want to carry on a conversation with you in a low tone. It rivaled Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First"!
So, it happened - she did get her hearing aids and the improvement has been remarkable and noticeable. Every morning she puts them in and she is now able to hear conversations as they were meant to be. Although she has had her moments - like dropping a $1500 ear piece and losing it in the toilet - she is grateful and wonders why she resisted because of fear all these years.
As I thought about my mother, I realize that I approach life in similar fashion. Without the proper "hearing aids" I go through life listening to the voices of my culture that influence my life perspective and attitude. I hear "you'll never win", "you're a failure", "no one wants to hire you", "you're not as successful as others", "you're not one of the beautiful people", and on and on. Because I'm not listening with my God-aids, these voices become reality-truth. I live in fear of that God-life relationship because I must face the real me.
But when I put on the presence of God and carry it with me throughout the day, that psuedo-reality fades and the voice of truth comes through loud and clear. It's a lifestyle of learning to walk with the right God-aids that pick up "I love you", "you are my child", and "you are valuable" out of all the confusing cultural noises. This is God's truth reality.
"Teach me your way and I will walk in your truth." Psalm 86:11
Walking with the voice of truth reassures me that where I am right now in my life is exactly where God wants me. It's a daily learning-how-to-walk experience. It's the freedom to "be me" and to live my life as God's designer-original without comparison, performance, or masks.
I just have to remember not to drop my "hearing aids" in the toilet in the morning!
(Watch and listen to "The Voice of Truth" from Casting Crowns)
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