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Sometimes We Tune Out the World
I spent part of this afternoon having a hearing test. No, I do not have any significant hearing loss. The ENT specialist thought it was necessary based upon the condition that brought me into the office. When she explained that I had “Minimal hearing loss that needs no attention in the left ear due to negative middle ear pressure,” I was relieved.
During the discussion, I explained that many of my family members might disagree with this analysis with this diagnosis, because I consistently want television volumes in our home louder than others. This has been true since my earliest childhood memories. While I do not intentionally push car audio levels to the point that others feel the vibrations, loud music has always been my choice. The physician’s explanation was, “You just like it loud, because your hearing is excellent.”
Since the appointment, I have wondered if my penchant for volume is not merely a way to tune out things around me. We all have honed that skill to one level or another. When we do not like what we hear from our friends, news reports, or society, we turn up the volume on what we do like until our discomfort disappears. There is inherent danger in this well used coping mechanism. Have we ignored truth that would have positively changed our lives? Have we intensified the noise around so much that we cannot hear the soft sound of the Master’s sandalled feet drawing near? Have we inured our senses sufficiently that we failed to share God’s love with someone desperately calling for help?
Turning up the volume and tuning out the world may seem natural, but there is inherent risk in doing it! You think about that!
Praying for more to be His,
Reggie Hundley
Executive Director
Mission Services Association, Inc.
the missions network
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