HAS THE DAY OF MIRACLES CEASED?
HAS THE DAY OF MIRACLES CEASED?
Hopefully,
you had the opportunity to listen to recent General Conference talks. They are
all inspiring, but have you ever heard a talk that you knew was a message that
was meant especially for you? I have. Let me share my experience.
On September
23, 2017, my sons Blake, Aaron and Curt, with son in-law Michael Thompson and
two grandsons- Spencer (age 10 at the time) and Levi (age 6 back then) and I, all
went to a shooting range for a father’s and Son’s activity. We all wore the
same protective ear plugs. After the event, when I removed my ear plugs, my
hearing was muffled, as if I had earmuffs on. Everyone was hearing normally,
except me!
This condition didn’t go away so I went to an audiologist who informed me that I had experienced a traumatic hearing loss of approximately 50% in both ears!
Soon after,
I received a priesthood blessing in which I was not promised a restoration of
hearing but was promised that I would have sufficient health to finish my work here
on earth. This was comforting to me, but I joked with Annette that maybe I had
asked the wrong priesthood bearer to give me a blessing as I noticed afterward
that he was wearing hearing aids!
This was a
very traumatic event for me, and I was on the verge of panic when I realized
that this condition would possibly be permanent. A few weeks later at General
Conference, I received the spiritual comfort I so desperately needed. It came in
the form of Elder Donald L. Hallstrom’s talk Sunday morning asking- “Has the
day of miracles ceased?” He reassured us that miracles do still happen, and I
gained insight when he asked- “What about those whose miracle never comes?” Do
you have the faith to submit to His will and not be healed?”
I believe
that I have enough faith to be healed. I have witnessed enough miracles to know
that God hears and answers prayers. I also know that there are thousands of sweet,
wonderful people who live with greater handicaps than I am now experiencing,
who bear their burdens with patience, who deserve a miracle- yet whose miracle
never comes.
A few weeks later,
Annette and I attended the Temple. I was serving as a veil worker but wasn’t
sure I would be able to hear well enough (before getting hearing aids) to still
serve, thankfully, I could hear just well enough to function!
Now, 7 &1/2
years later, I am still at peace. Like thousands of others, I wear hearing aids, which are little miracles themselves.
I look
forward to the day when my hearing will be perfect, but I am thankful that I
have learned patience, empathy and a deeper love for those who live with
handicaps of all kinds. I’m especially thankful for a loving Heavenly Father
who sent his beloved Son to “bear our burdens and carry our grief.” I look
forward to the resurrection which because of Jesus Christ, is now a reality. In
the meantime, I’m eternally grateful for the promptings of the “still small
voice” which I am blessed to hear, despite my 50% hearing loss.
We can
witness miracles regularly as we learn to “see with our spiritual eyes and hear
with our spiritual ears”.
Has the day
of miracles ceased?” We testify that IT HAS NOT!
Very interesting. Some researchers suggested that the B of M witnesses saw the plates with their “spiritual eyes.”
ReplyDelete