“As soon as Jesus did this, the man was able to hear. He was able to use his tongue, and he began to speak clearly.” Mark 7:35 (ERV)

Born with a mostly profound hearing loss, one childhood memory is being surprised by feeling thunder while standing at our open front door. Another is playing outdoors in the sandbox with my brother, and he said Mom called us to come eat. (Romans 8:28).

My first hearing aid was bigger than today’s Smart Phone! Mom sewed pockets inside my t-shirts to hold it. The hearing aid help me hear people, but not enough to speak right. My parents hired Miss Knoll, a Speech Therapist, and two times a week she came to our home to work with me. She would show me where my tongue and teeth had to be in my mouth to make specific sounds. It took lots of practice to learn and memorize how to make sounds, some I did not hear. She gave me a children’s history book about Abe Lincoln and had me read the book out loud. I learned more on how to read and make the right sounds. I am forever thankful for her teaching.

From personal experience I understand the depth of Jesus’ healing the Deaf man. From Deaf to Hearing and speaking clearly meant Jesus also gave the man his speech! The Deaf man’s tongue and mouth were fine. He did not speak clearly because, being Deaf, it is very difficult to learn how to speak clearly. For me, it took a strong hearing aid, and much training by a Speech Therapist. I thank God for the opportunity, and give Him all the Glory (Romans 11:36).

This post is a short summary. A longer post is available under “Why Me?”.