When I was in Vietnam in 1970 I was injured and it left me with damage to my hearing in both ears. Over the years with age it has become worse until my last report from the VA that I had approximately a 60 percent loss now. Three years ago the VA finally,(They Said) located my medical records and awarded me a small pension for my loss.
For people with a hearing impairment it is difficult to distinguish many different words, vowel and accents. This creates one of the most critical social and business failures for the hearing impairment. Hearing aids do not always help as they elevate a higher background noise which cancels out the close conversations. Turning things up louder does not help with the pronunciation of a word either.
Many times most people simply avoid any conversations so as not to have to ask an irritable, impatient person to repeat what they just said. As of now I need to be watching a persons lips in order to formulate enough understanding of what they are saying. Many people talk while they are moving around.This makes it even worse.
We take many things for granted and need to remember that to walk in another persons shoes before criticizing and laughing at them. The following story is another example of people who have to endure not only a handicap but a discrimination problem with the world around them. That is why I know that Jesus Christ has set the perfect example of a better world for all men if we but follow his example, and teachings.
But I have learned one important factor over the years. It is better to hear with your heart than it is with your ears. When it comes to the truth. Deafness seems to be world wide among all people. There are more deaf hearts than there are deaf ears.
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Taking Offense
by Randy Robison
“A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his
glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11)
Recently, Cody Goodnight walked into a Family Dollar store in east Fort Worth to buy a couple of sodas for his five-year-old son and himself. The clerk, Ricky Young, had some difficulty with the scanner and attempted to make small talk while handling the register. Cody did not respond.
Once the sodas rang up, Cody paid in cash. Ricky felt insulted for being ignored, so he threw the change at Cody, scattering it on the floor. The 31-year-old father bent down to pick it up and at that point, Ricky later told police, muttered a racial slur and threatened him. So Ricky picked up a crowbar from behind the register and clubbed the man behind the ear.
Cody left the store without a word, went home and reported the incident to his mother. She and her husband contacted the police. When officers arrived at the discount store, Ricky was still working. They checked the surveillance video, but it had mysteriously been erased. They took Ricky’s statement claiming racism and self-defense and then informed him of one significant fact.
Cody Goodnight is deaf. When Cody was a toddler, high fever robbed him of his ability to hear. He can make guttural noises, but tries to maintain silence because people have made fun of him. He communicates via sign language.
"When you're deaf, you don't make a point of starting conversations with people," Cody’s mother said. Yet at least one person took offense at this deaf man’s behavior, misconstruing it for disrespect.
Often we take offense -- even when it’s not ours to take. Offense will come our way. We don’t have to go looking for it. When we do, we find offense in places where there is little or no cause for it. This is not simply foolishness, it is dangerous. It can lead to an overblown sense of victimization. Those who constantly take offense begin to feel as if life is not fair or that the world is out to get them. This mindset is diametrically opposed to Jesus declaration that Christians should “rejoice and be glad” when persecuted by the world (Matthew 5:11-12).
Dennis Prager, a brilliant author, lecturer and radio host, calls victim hood “the greatest single cause of evil.” He points out that Nazism arose from a sense of German victim hood, communism from a belief that the working man is the victim and Islamism from the idea that Muslims are victims of an oppressive Jewish-American conspiracy.
“The preoccupation of much of America with telling whole groups that they are victims -- of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and class ism, among other American sins -- can only increase cruelty and evil in America,” Prager asserts.
Christians should not give in to the temptation to play the social martyr. We should stand up for our beliefs and defend the assaults on our faith, but never look for reasons to take offense. To the contrary, we must pro actively forgive those who offend us, whether that offense is real or merely perceived. Otherwise, we play the part of the angry, bitter, reactionary victim. In that state of mind, we cannot respond with patience and love. Instead, we respond in a manner that genuinely gives offense.
This is true in society, church and family. Taking offense leads to conflict, strife and separation. It is the tool of the enemy. If we are to rise above the sins of this world and truly shine the light of Jesus Christ, we must move beyond giving or taking offense.
This Week
Forgive those who have offended you, just as God forgives our offenses. Resist the temptation to give in to the offenses of the world.
Prayer
“Father, forgive my trespasses, as I forgive those who trespass against me. Help me resist the temptation of victim hood, so that I can be delivered from anger, bitterness and vengeance. Give me your patience and grace so I can radiate your life and love.”
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