Why God Sent Me There

After my sister and daughter ganged up on me to insist I needed a hearing aid, I went for a screening test yesterday. While I was in the sound booth and the specialist was playing tones in my ear through headsets, I was on the verge of a panic attack. I knew I was losing the sound when it went into the upper ranges. And the booth was not very big. I was wondering if I was sucking out all the oxygen. If it was soundproof...was it oxygen-proof as well?

Finally the test ended. Not a moment too soon. I was pretty sure little air was still left. We went to the sweet audiologist's office to go over my results. She showed me my hearing graph. I don't need extra volume at all. My hearing at all levels of loudness is normal. However, the clarity of sound hearing is in the moderate loss zone. She told me in all honesty that half of the people in my range don't need or want hearing aids. Half of them do benefit however.

The place where I went has a great new program where I can try an aid for two weeks with no charge, no strings attached. If I find it worthwhile, I buy one. If not, I go home, a tad hard of hearing but none the poorer. As we chatted, she found out I was a writer and asked what kinds of books I write.

"Well, really they are all about God, but told through true stories. My first one was about a rescue dog we saved who turned vicious, and it is about the trials and struggles trying to rehabilitate her. But it is really about how God teaches and reveals Himself through hard times."

The sweet lady grew a little teary, and said, "I want to show you this, not to make you sad, but to show you how much I get what you are saying." She held up a framed photo of her with a handsome young man.

"This is my son," she said, "He was 18 in this picture. He was killed in October by a car while on a mission trip. I lost my husband 4 years ago. It was very hard...but I learned not to ask God 'why', but 'what'.....what do I do now in the face of this? And I learned that you cannot bear it, but you can get through it, and He is with you."

What is left to say?

She always wanted to write a book, and wondered if she should write this story.
"I have always believed," I told her, "That the only thing I understand about tragedy is that it feels less meaningless if I can help others going through what I endured."
"Yes," she agreed.
I gave her some pointers on how to get started on her book, and made an appointment to come back to be fitted with my free trial hearing aid.

"Now I know why you were meant to be here today," said the audiologist.
My thoughts exactly.

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Psalm 55: 4-8, 16-18, 22
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
 the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from the raging wind and tempest."
16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
 he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.