I was stubborn and unyielding. As an atheist I insisted there was no God. I said to myself that I tried to do everything the right way. I learned to deal with my deafness, and as a hearing impaired person I was able to survive. Yes, I survived the hearing world and I did “ok”. I was happy most of the time with that.

I was able to do whatever I wanted and did it well. From time to time I wondered if I was hearing maybe I could do more with my life. If had to believe there was a God, then He would have to tell me why I was hearing impaired!

Meeting my future wife on a date changed all my thinking. God broke through my stubborness and showed me how I was broken in more ways than one. I was made deaf for a reason and despite unanswered prayers, I continued to be deaf and hearing impaired. Deep down I realized God made me the way I am, and He loved me. Loved me enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for me. All my efforts to prove myself as a good person did not count. Deafness was not a reason to refuse God’s gift of His Son Jesus as my Lord. All I had to do was confess my sins and confess Jesus is Lord. It also meant I needed to repent of my selfish ways. It was no longer about my struggle as a hearing impaired person, but being a child of God. My future wife shared how God helped her to live with her deafness and how she loved Jesus. She shared her love for Jesus and so I was saved by her testimony. Eventually I repented and believed in the Gospel, the Good News. I became a child of God.

Mark 1:15b “Repent, and believe in the gospel.“ (WEB)

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.” (NET)

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (ESV)

[End of Part Five of Eight Part Series]