An Eternal Perspective on Living with Hearing Loss

Do you view your life from an “eternal perspective” or a “world perspective?” Bare with me because I’m making a point. I’m more than certain you have heard of the old cliché “you don’t realize what you had until it’s gone, right? I mean, who hasn’t?

Growing up, I used to think those were just useless words that held no meaning whatsoever. It is all about perspective though.

Sometimes we go into things from an earthly perspective when we need to readjust our focus to view things from an eternal perspective.

Now that I’m an adult, I realize how true that “cliche is!” Living with hearing loss will force you to look at an eternal perspective.

BE SURE TO PIN ME FOR LATER

LIVING WITH HEARING LOSS FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

More often than not we take things for granted assuming they’ll always be there right? For example, it may be a loss of a loved one, a relationship gone wrong, a friendship that is beyond repair, a diagnosis that you weren’t expecting.

It can mean many things to every single one of us. Not one person can say that they haven’t experienced their own form of “cliche” in one form or another.

I am willing to make an educated guess that surely I’m not the only one who takes things for granted from an earthly perspective.

We always assume whatever we are taking for granted will be there forever. Then BAM, you wake up one day and reality sets in and what you never thought would be gone….is.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS YOUR SENSES

We all know the five basic senses:

• hearing
• tasting
• seeing
• feeling
• smelling

Let’s be honest, who in the world would think I’m going to wake up tomorrow and lose one of these major senses? It wouldn’t enter anyone’s mind on a day-to-day basis because we always assume our senses will forever be there.

TURNING LIVING WITH HEARING LOSS FROM AN EARTHLY PERSPECTIVE INTO AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

That would be a BIG NO! I’d never assume I’d be living with hearing loss to the point day to day interactions would be affected.

I simply just assumed it would always be there. Boy, was I wrong? You can check out the video, My Health Journey, at the end of this post to get all the details. It’s rather lengthy but it explains ME. Don’t miss out- it is a huge part of how I now approach life with an eternal perspective.

Hearing Loss from a Personal Standpoint

Since 2010, I have only 15% hearing left in my left ear and I have 30% gone from my right. You can learn how I trust God through it all with my Autoimmune Disorders if you want to know more about my health journey.

Having the Wrong Perspective on Hearing Loss

Before I started my focus on having an eternal perspective with my hearing loss I had myself a big ole pity party. Why Me? What have I done so wrong to deserve this?

Trust me, I came up with any and every excuse you can think of. That is how acted and played the blame game!

I’m so ashamed to be putting, that particular comment out there but I want complete honesty because I did not place my faith where I should. I wasn’t counting my blessings.

Most of all, I was looking at things as earthly matters instead of the eternal perspective God wanted me to have.

LIVING WITH HEARING LOSS AND GAINING AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

I could have NO hearing at all but I do and that’s something to be thankful for. For a long time, I thought God was punishing me. That was before I understood the importance of trusting God no matter my circumstances.

The only thing I had seen was the loss associated with it because I was only viewing my hearing situation from an earthly perspective, not an eternal perspective.

I want you to know if a situation such as this were to happen to you don’t make my mistake. You can trust God with any circumstance that comes your way.

GOD USES BROKEN PEOPLE TO REACH OTHER BROKEN PEOPLE

God is using this loss as a way of reaching out to others that I may not even be aware of. You see Friends, God uses our trials and suffering, to bring Him Glory and that is why we are put on this earth for in the first place. We can make the choice to accept what we’re given in life to use it for good.

CHOOSE BETTER OVER BITTER

We can choose to let our obstacles make us bitter or better. For far too long living with hearing loss made me bitter, I’m not going to give you a half-truth.

Finally, I can tell you, I choose to be better. It didn’t happen overnight, it took time and many mistakes between, and I know I will make many more.

5 POWERFUL QUOTES ON LIVING WITH HEARING LOSS FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

“Having an ‘eternal perspective’ helps us remember nothing is wasted.”

― Laura Thomas

“God delights in seeing you transformed and becoming more like Him.”

― Bobby Gene Redding

“Humility arises as you acknowledge and embrace your need for and your dependency on God.”

― Bobby Gene Redding

“God has the power to change you as well as any situation or circumstance you are in.”

― Bobby Gene Redding

“God’s plan for your future is better than any plan you could imagine or dream up.”

― Bobby Gene Redding

TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH SOMEONE WITH HEARING LOSS

RESOURCE ARTICLE TIPS COURTESY OF UCSF

Successful communication requires the efforts of all people involved in a conversation. Even when the person with hearing loss utilizes hearing aids and active listening strategies, it is crucial that others involved in the communication process consistently use good communication strategies, including the following:

• Face the hearing impaired person directly, on the same level and in good light whenever possible. Position yourself so that the light is shining on the speaker’s face, not in the eyes of the listener.
• Do not talk from another room. Not being able to see each other when talking is a common reason people have difficulty understanding what is said.
• Speak clearly, slowly, distinctly, but naturally, without shouting or exaggerating mouth movements. Shouting distorts the sound of speech and may make speech reading more difficult.
• Say the person’s name before beginning a conversation. This gives the listener a chance to focus attention and reduces the chance of missing words at the beginning of the conversation.
• Avoid talking too rapidly or using sentences that are too complex. Slow down a little, pause between sentences or phrases, and wait to make sure you have been understood before going on.
• Keep your hands away from your face while talking. If you are eating, chewing, smoking, etc. while talking, your speech will be more difficult to understand. Beards and mustaches can also interfere with the ability of the hearing impaired to speech read.
• If the hearing impaired listener hears better in one ear than the other, try to make a point of remembering which ear is better so that you will know where to position yourself.
• Be aware of possible distortion of sounds for the hearing impaired person. They may hear your voice but still may have difficulty understanding some words.
• Most hearing-impaired people have greater difficulty understanding speech when there is background noise. Try to minimize extraneous noise when talking.
• Some people with hearing loss are very sensitive to loud sounds. This reduced tolerance for loud sounds is not uncommon. Avoid situations where there will be loud sounds when possible.
• If the hearing impaired person has difficulty understanding a particular phrase or word, try to find a different way of saying the same thing, rather than repeating the original words over and over.
• Acquaint the listener with the general topic of the conversation. Avoid sudden changes of topic. If the subject is changed, tell the hearing impaired person what you are talking about now. In a group setting, repeat questions or key facts before continuing with the discussion.
• If you are giving specific information — such as time, place or phone numbers — to someone who is hearing impaired, have them repeat the specifics back to you. Many numbers and words sound alike.
• Whenever possible, provide pertinent information in writing, such as directions, schedules, work assignments, etc.
• Recognize that everyone, especially the hard-of-hearing, has a harder time hearing and understanding when ill or tired.
• Pay attention to the listener. A puzzled look may indicate misunderstanding. Tactfully ask the hearing impaired person if they understood you, or ask leading questions so you know your message got across.
• Take turns speaking and avoid interrupting other speakers.
• Enroll in aural rehabilitation classes with your hearing-impaired spouse or friend.

How to Make a Home More User-Friendly for Deaf or Hard of Hearing People.

IN CLOSING ON LIVING WITH HEARING LOSS FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

If you caught the name of my blog, it holds a special meaning concerning this particular issue. I may not be able to hear well, but you will still “Hear Me” RESOUNDING HIS LOVE (God’s Love) for ME and for YOU too!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

• The Reason Behind the Name of my Website.
• Trusting God through Trials
• God Wants to Use You
• How to Trust God When Bad Things Happen