Hearing Problems

We're headed to the ear, nose and throat doctor today. My youngest's ears have been stopped up pretty much since November. She's had trouble with her ears for most of her life, and we see the ENT every six months or so. About a week ago, she came to me and asked if we could go see the doctor. You see, her ears are so stopped up that she can't hear very well.

When my youngest's ears get like this, it's frustrating for her and for us. She can't hear what we're telling her, and we think she's just ignoring us (which she's perfectly capable of doing). We know that the issue is caused by a build-up of fluid behind her ear drum, which makes her ear drum not be able to vibrate and makes her unable to hear well. In a sense, the fluid in her ear is blocking the sound.

Sometimes, our spiritual ears become like my daughter's ears -- clogged and unable to hear. But our spiritual ears aren't clogged with fluid. They're clogged with sin. Unconfessed sin gets between us and God. We can't hear God very well if we're busy ignoring His commands. We need to clean out our spiritual ears of sin, so we can hear God when He speaks. Isaiah 59:2 says "But your iniquities have separated you from your God."


When we ask God for wisdom or patience or anything else, if our ears are clogged by our sin, then we won't be able to hear when He answers. I don't know about you, but I need all the wisdom and patience I can get as I parent my kids. I don't want to miss what God has to say because I'm too proud to deal with the sin in my life.

Our kids need to understand that our actions affect our relationship with God. Sin comes between us and God. If we deliberately choose to ignore God's commands and do our own thing, it makes it tough to hear God when He speaks to us.

• Have your kids cover their ears with something -- ear muffs, their hands -- then talk to them in your regular speaking voice. Talk about how well your kids can hear with something covering their ears. Explain that the thing covering their ears is like sin. When we don't confess our sin, it keeps us from being able to hear God as well.
• Stand right next to your child and whisper something to them. Have your child take a few steps away and whisper again. Have your child keep moving across the room until he can't hear you when you whisper. Talk about how when we sin, it moves us away from God. If we confess that sin, we move back to God, but if we let that sin fester and grow, we move farther away from God -- to the point that we can't hear Him anymore.

As you go through your week, be aware that sin can keep you from hearing God. If God seems silent, examine your life to see if sin is clogging your spiritual ears.