Ear Infection

When my oldest daughter was a toddler she got many ear infections.
There was no way of knowing she had an infection.
There was never any pain.
There was only one telltale sign.

Back then; you had a stereo system to listen to music.
The system had a turntable for record albums.
It usually had cassette player for tapes.
The speakers were large, like pieces of furniture.

My stereo was enclosed in a case with a Plexiglas door.
Our door opened with a slight push against a magnetic latch.
Behind the door were my albums.
Some people bought shoes, I bought record albums, and so my collection was vast.

Or course, when my daughter came along there was Sesame Street and Muppet music.
There were albums of show tunes.
Mary Poppins was her favorite.
She would sing along with her paper parasol and dance around the room.

Apple juice in a favorite cup and a small bowl of goldfish crackers completed the scene.
The tall speakers acted as a makeshift table for her to put her snack and juice.
One day I noticed that she was sitting terribly close to the speakers.
I called to her from the kitchen, but she never turned around.

I called again, knowing that the music was not loud enough to interfere with my voice.
She still didn’t turn.
I walked towards her and put my hand on her shoulder.
I startled her.

Didn’t you hear Mommy calling you?
No, Mommy, she said as she emphatically shook her head.
I gave her a hug and walked away.
A Spoonful Of Sugar was playing in the background.

I tried to call her again from the kitchen.
No response.
I walked closer, her back still towards me and called again.
Nothing.

Her hearing was down.
She only responded when she saw that I was talking to her.
Only the day before, she was fine.
Today brought muffled hearing.

After going to the doctors, it was confirmed that she had a terrible ear infection.
No pain, no fever, just diminished hearing.
We were told to go to an ear, nose, and throat doctor.
In those days, you didn’t seem to wait for an appointment like we do now.

We were seen within two days.
A hearing test was done.
There was significant loss of hearing in her infected ear.
The doctor assured me it was not permanent.

The hearing would return when the infection cleared.
The hearing would come back when the blockage was removed.
How frustrating to think that this was her only symptom.
There was nothing to give me a clue ahead of time.

She just couldn’t hear.

I am remembering all of this because that same daughter has an ear infection.
She is an adult now but the symptoms are the same.
She called me to tell me about it.
As I listened, I pictured her as a toddler over twenty-five years ago.

Oddly enough, her hearing is down yet again.
She came over and spent the day.
We watched a movie after dinner.
She sat close to the screen; I called her name at one point and she never turned to me.

She went to the doctors and is being treated.
It is an awful thing not to hear.
You cannot tell where sounds are coming from.
You cannot hear someone unless you see their face.

A grown woman with the symptoms of a little girl.
How true of each of us!

We all have ears that are plugged to the Gospel.
We all have ears that will not hear the Good News.
We all have a blockage that prohibits the Message from getting through.
The blockage is sin; it hardens our heart, and deafens our ears, and blinds our eyes.

Those who are not in Christ cannot hear.
The words mean nothing to them.
There is spiritual hearing loss that affects their equilibrium.
Their spiritual balance is off.

There is a remedy.

Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk and they begged Him to place His hand on the man. After He took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”) At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more He did so, the more likely they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7:31-37)

Healing the deaf and the blind and the lame were signs of the Messiah.
Proof that God had come into the world.
Every day we pass people on the street that are blind and deaf to the Gospel.
They have eyes and ears but they cannot see or hear.

We need to tell them.
They need to see our face as we talk to them.
They need to look at the Life in our eyes.
They need to see a Remedy; they need to be healed.

Walk up to them.
Touch their shoulder.
Let them see your face so they can hear you.
Tell them the Good News about Jesus.

Only the God who has come can unblock the ears.
Only the God who has come can open the eyes.
Only the God who has come can restore the spiritual balance.
Only the God who has come can heal and restore.

Do you hear Him?