Chirping Conversations

June 5, 2018

Malfunctioning ears can make one seem to be stuck up or angry. When I’m in a crowd, it’s sometimes almost impossible to follow conversations, especially if there is background noise or more than one person talking. It’s been a problem for almost as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, the ringing in my ears was sporadic. I can remember lying in bed when suddenly, I would hear this quiet beeping. I thought maybe aliens were trying to contact me. 

Gradually over time, the beeping became nonstop crickets chirping in my ears, interrupting conversations, keeping me from hearing lyrics in songs, never giving me a moment’s rest except when I’m sleeping. It’s not so bad; you just have to compensate. Crowds are not my friend, but one on one is another story.

Saturday, I had the privilege of spending about five hours with my daughter in law Debbra. She wanted to shop Sam’s club for supplies for our granddaughter’s graduation party, and since I’m the only one in the family with a card, I got to take her. One on one, we talked. For five hours. The subject matter ranged all over the place, from family to work, worship, and church. One on one, I can actually hear and carry on a conversation.

Language is God’s gift to connect us with himself and one another. It is no accident that in John’s gospel, Jesus is called the Word. Unfortunately, we humans have twisted and perverted it to hide our true intents, to deceive, manipulate, and destroy. Five hours of genuine conversation that did what God intended language to do—connect us. I am thankful for those hours and being able to hear my daughter in law’s heart. Now for my daughter and my other daughter in law. One on one is fun, chirping in my ears and all!