Hearing Aids

Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. – Revelation 2:11a (NRSV) 

I’ve been wearing hearing aids of one kind or another for over thirty years. I’ve seen a lot of styles come and go, but the ones I have now are my favorite. They are so sleek and light, I hardly notice them when I’m wearing them. And it’s so sweet, the way they nestle into their charger each night with a little click. 

But here I am at the audiologist’s office, because my reliable old friends don’t seem to be hearing as well as they used to. After some tinkering, the audiologist concludes they’ll have to be sent to the manufacturer for repair. I’m fitted for a pair of shiny new loaners, and with a backward glance at my old friends, I head out into the sunshine. 

Sheesh. It’s loud out here. Car brakes squeal and doors slam, and far down the hill, a train shouts along its tracks. Honestly, my first instinct is to go back inside the audiologist office and plead for my old hearing aids back. But I’ve changed hearing aids before, and I know by now that it doesn’t take long to adjust.  

I pause near a tree in the parking lot and pick up a bird singing, one I couldn’t hear before. The music on the car radio seems more layered somehow. When I get home, I can understand almost everything my grandson tells me about his latest special interest. 

Those first moments of the new thing are overwhelming, aren’t they, Church? I hear you. But you’ve changed before. Remember? The clamor lasts just a little while. Soon, you will hear all these intimate, nuanced sounds—beauty you couldn’t have even imagined before.  

Prayer
Open the ears of our hearts, God. And then, give us the wherewithal to really listen. Amen.

About the Author
Rev. Jennifer Garrison (formerly Brownell) is a writer, spiritual director and pastor living in the Pacific Northwest. Her published work most recently appeared in the book The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, available from The Pilgrim Press.