Hearing Disorder

 by Macy Johnson

“Faith comes from hearing the message,

and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

(Romans 10:17 NIV)

 

Do you have problems understanding others, especially your "significant other"? Do you blame them for mumbling? My husband has accused me of having a hearing problem. I misunderstand about 25% of his words, especially if he is turned away from me while speaking. I have had this difficulty all my life and recently identified what could be part of the problem.

 

I opened my laptop computer and googled, “hearing something other than what was said.” Up popped Auditory Processing Disorder. “Do I have that?” I asked myself.

 

APD is described in WebMD as: “Having a hard time hearing small sound differences in words. It isn’t hearing loss or a learning disorder. It means your brain doesn’t “hear” sounds in the usual way. Someone says, “Please raise your hand,” and you hear something like “Please haze your plan.” It’s not a problem with misunderstanding meaning.”

 

The TV signal went out during a storm. When it returned, the sound did not sync with the picture by a split-second. The voices did not match the commentators’ moving lips. It made me crazy! I realized I largely depend on lip-reading to understand the sounds coming from a person’s mouth. I watch their lips move to help make sense of their words.

 

The COVID pandemic has created a new twist on this disorder. I have a difficult time understanding someone who wears a virus-protecting facemask, because I cannot watch their lips move.

 

If I have trouble hearing people, do I have trouble hearing God? How many times has He repeated Himself so I could understand? Imperfections can draw me closer to Him.

 

I will listen to God and others with Christ’s love in order to avoid any confusion. I hope you will, too!