Hard of Hearing

Many years ago, when I had problems understanding everything that was said in a noisy room, my children would say, “Go and see an otologist. Get a hearing aid.” Finally I made an appointment. The doctor asked, “Why have you come to see me?” “My children say my hearing is bad. I don’t hear everything.” He replied, “Why do you want to hear everything?” and we laughed. After the examination the ear specialist told me that though my hearing was reduced, it was not yet necessary to get hearing aids. But eventually, after a couple of bouts with acute hearing loss, I finally asked my ear doctor to prescribe hearing aids.

He now felt happy to do so and said it would be good for me to learn how to cope with those little gadgets sooner rather than later. It has taken some time to get used to them, but they do help in most situations. I understand why many people avoid getting hearing aids, but now that I wear them, I realize I am not alone. Suddenly I notice how many others wear hearing aids. It is nothing to be ashamed of. During the 2023 French Open Tennis Grand Slam Tournament in Paris, France, I watched Yannick Hanfmann defeat his first-round opponent in a five-set match that lasted almost five hours. Hanfmann was born with a hearing defect and normally wears hearing aids, but while on court with a crowd cheering loudly, he prefers to play without them. He finds the noise distracting. Without his hearing aids, he can concentrate much better. Perhaps that was the reason he won in the end. We have ears so that we can hear. My doctor’s question, “Why do you want to hear everything?” is a good question.

Maybe we do not need to hear everything. “Whoever has ears, let them hear!” Jesus challenged his listeners repeatedly. He wanted them to hear and understand what He had to say. Like Hanfmann, we need to tune out all the distracting messages. Then we will hear and understand the real message of salvation.

We do not need to hear everything—only what matters.

May we listen only for what is essential.

Hannele Ottschofski