that the world may hear

there is a ministry solely committed to bringing the gift of hearing to children who cannot afford hearing aids and have critically reduced hearing ability.

today i was watching a short video accounting one of their visits to ukraine and i was so touched by the images of little children's faces lighting up as they heard sounds clearly for the first time! one little boy just kept making an "ahhh" sound over and over completely enthralled by the sound of his own voice! the video crew followed one family home and documented their toddler's reaction to his new found sense of hearing. at one point the father left the room and went into the farthest corner of their apartment (although this was not amazingly far considering the family lived in a small one-bedroom apartment) he then called to his son. the little boy lifted his head to the sound of his father's voice, obviously confused that he could hear his father but could not see him anywhere nearby. his father continued calling and calling, but the boy stood frozen and confused. he then began to make his way toward his father's voice and his face lit up as he reached the door and saw his father in the corner of their living room.

for the first time this little boy heard something before he saw it...and it was the comforting voice of his own father!

what an incredible allegory for our own spiritual lives.

how often do i remain frozen? so handicapped by my sight-based faith and unable to recognize the voice of my heavenly Father? if only i could muster the strength to take those first few unsure and confusing steps to reach the threshold of His throneroom.

our God has so much waiting for us on the other side and we don't even realize it. like deaf little orphan children it seems so much safer...it makes so much more sense...to just run around in surroundings that we can "see" and "touch" and know to be "real."

if only i could close the spiritual eyes of my heart for one moment and simply soak up the sound of my Father's voice. to know it so fully that i would not even have a second thought in my mind when He calls...seen or unseen, i would know the precious call of my Father and i would come running. never doubting a step, never wondering if i had been mistaken.

Lord God, whisper my name. whisper our names, that we, your children, would know Your voice and chase after Your call. without a doubt in our minds that it is You calling us, calling us nowhere but closer to Yourself.