My favorite human being on the face of the earth is my wife. I better be careful or I might just score some brownie points. In all seriousness, she is the most inspiring individual I have ever met.
Let me explain. Joanna was born with severe hearing loss and profoundly deaf in both ears. She has worn hearing aids since she was a toddler to help increase her ability to hear. She is a phenomenal lip reader and relies on that skill to help her communicate. However, it is still frustrating for her. She's not able to sit in a group and follow every word that is shared. She's not able to enjoy music the way a hearing person does. She won't hear you if you're talking behind her back. If you have a long mustache and a soft voice, she wouldn't even know you're talking. The sounds that a hearing person takes for granted, she will miss most of them.
With this being said, I hardly ever hear Joanna complain. Joanna has an incredible ability to listen with her heart. Yes her ears don't work well, and her eyes work pretty well, but her heart is a treasure full of gold. She has a genuine love for people and God's creation. Because she sees life through a different lens due to her deafness, she has a God-given ability to see the needs of people more than the average person. She takes me to school all the time with lessons in compassion. When one of our children gets stung by a bee, they know who to go to for comfort. Joanna's level of concern will warm the heart of anyone.
Joanna has embraced who God has created her to be. The Bible says in Psalm 139 that we are each fearfully and wonderfully made. Joanna has embraced her inability to hear. She realizes that there is nothing she can do and that God has a reason for her being deaf. There have been times when she has been frustrated because she can't hear, or she'll come home tired from trying to follow a busy conversation. But at the end of the day, she knows that she is God's special creation.
For the last two years, we have been praying more persistently that Joanna would be healed. In Mark 7, we read of a man who was deaf and was healed. We believe that Jesus is in the process of healing Joanna. In moving to Minnesota this last year, we found out that we only live 4 hours from Mayo Clinic, which has one of the premier Cochlear Implant departments in the country. Last Friday, Joanna underwent this surgery to improve her capacity to hear. As she heals and awaits the activation, we are waiting with much anticipation to experience the changes this will bring to Joanna's ability to hear. During surgery, the doctor ran a test to make sure the device was stimulating her hearing nerves and all the tests were passed. We praise the Lord for His goodness to us! These are exciting days ahead for our family with the prospects of Joanna hearing better.
As I have reflected on my wife's hearing in recent days, I am reminded of my need to hear the voice of God. How often does God have to ask us, Can you hear me now? In a world that severs our hearing nerves with the garbage of media, sin and busyness, we often block out the voice of God. My prayer has been, as recorded in Revelation, "Give me ears to hear what the Spirit is saying." In other words, God, give my heart a cochlear implant. I want to position myself in a place where I can hear the voice of God. As a husband, I must hear the voice of God. As a father, I must hear the voice of God. As a son, I must hear the voice of God. As a pastor, I must hear the voice of God. I can't be the man that God calls me to be unless I am spending time knowing and experiencing the presence of God. When I am still, then I can know God.
God has taught me a lot through my wife. These are just a few examples of that. I am blessed to have a wife who loves Jesus, who loves me and cares for me and allows me to be the man that God has created me to be. Joanna is a blessing and as we read in Proverbs 18, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD." I thank God for my wife! I look forward to the end of this month when we go back to the hospital to have her hearing device activated, I may just ask her, Can you hear me now?
Powerful, Fred!!! Thanks for sharing. The ears of my heart was deeply challenged.
ReplyDeleteDan Glaze
Thanks Dan!
DeleteI agree Fred, Joanna is an awesome, kind and loving woman of God. We are praying that He will bring her wonderful blessings as she begins to hear more. Thanks for the reminder to be more careful to listen to God's voice above all else.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and your beautiful family!
Barbara Leetch
Barbara, Thanks so much for your prayers. We miss you and everyone at LAC.
DeleteWonderful, Fred. I'm so excited for you and Jo. I have tears in my eyes thinking about her hearing her children's precious voices say, "I love you mommy" for the first time. What a special gift you've given her by blogging about the experience of it all. You guys are in my thoughts and certainly my prayers a lot.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, Thanks so much for your kind words. These are exciting days for our family. I'll be video recording Joanna when they turn on her implant. With her approval, I'll post it to Youtube. :) Miss you guys!
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