I promise there is a purpose for sharing this long and personal story! (Thank you, my sweet husband, for permission to share your journey.)

 My husband, Frank, suffers from tinnitus and a slight hearing loss. The tinnitus, especially, has grown progressively worse over the last few years, and he considered hearing aids. He tried some over-the-counter kind that did not provide a great deal of relief. My niece, a hearing specialist for 30 years, owns Bay Area Hearing in Florida and Georgia, so she knows her stuff. She fitted my brother with hearing aids and offered to do the same for Frank. After trying my brother's on, he said they really didn't help him, so he remained skeptical and continued to struggle for months.

I continued to urge him to get tested, and we finally made the trip to Georgia. My niece was able to test his hearing and fit him with hearing aids programmed specifically for his needs. The look on his face told me all I needed to know! With the new hearing aids, he could immediately hear better! He could hear conversations around him and understand what people were saying more clearly than he had in a long time, and there was even an improvement in the tinnitus, although she said it may take some time for most people. He was so grateful that he finally listened to her and allowed her to help him.

As we went through this ordeal, I could not help but see the correlation between my husband's experience and my own relationship with God. I know God loves me and that I belong to Him. I have seen what He has done for others and in my own life. He knows His stuff! Why, then, are there times when I remain rebellious and skeptical? 

• I want an easy fix. God's way is seldom the easy way, but it is always the best way! An over-the-counter faith is just not enough. I desire a real, intimate relationship with Christ that enables me to hear His voice when the Holy Spirit directs me to move in a specific way. That is not easy—it requires consistent time in His Word and in prayer.

• I compare myself to others. When I try to measure up to someone else's standard, I rarely come out ahead. We are created in God's image, but He gives us all different talents, abilities, and gifts. When I try to 'wear' someone else's talent or gifting, it does not work well for me. In contrast, when I move forward with the calling God has programmed specifically for me, I am amazed at what He does. 

• I feel safer in my struggle. As crazy as it sounds, sometimes living in my struggle becomes so comfortable and safe that I hesitate to make a change. What if the change is worse than what I am experiencing now? That is the enemy using fear to keep me from intimacy with God and being used by Him! Sometimes the Holy Spirit has to urge me to move several times, but once I do, He never fails to reward that step of faith. 

How amazing is it when we stop running and allow God to work in our lives? When I finally listen to God and allow Him to help me, my face tells the story. Proverbs 15:13 NASB states, "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken." If your heart is sad and your spirit is broken, listen to the Holy Spirit as He urges you to take a step forward. Allow Him to show you the calling He programmed specifically for you, then let your face tell the story!