So, over a week ago, Sunday the 7th, I started getting a sore throat & a runny nose. No big deal. I mean, it's been rainy, windy, cold...all the things that come with winter in Porto Alegre. I started running a fever that night & it spiked at around 102.5. Not much fun. But I took some Tylenol (yes, we have that here, it's US$11 for 20 pills, and it's pronounced "Tcheelonol) & the fever came down to about 100. This lasted for 5 days. I never could get my fever to get below 100. Well, I take that back. It did go down on Tuesday night & Wednesday to 99 & I thought for sure that I was over the worst of the cold/flu/junk that I had contracted from who knows where. On Thursday, I couldn't take it anymore. Being the MAN that I am, I tried to tough it out & not go to the doctor. This was for 2 reasons: 1.) I'm a man. Men don't go to the doctor unless they are dying. I have sense wised up & realize that it's really the MOM's who don't go to the doctor unless they are dying! Then again...mom's never get sick! 2.) I thought the doctor would just tell me to get over it because it's going around & everyone has it.
She told me I had a severe ear & throat infection. (Where I come from, this is probably known as Strep Throat.) She gave me some antibiotics & sent me on my way. The next morning, Friday, I woke up to the sound of NOTHING! My left ear was completely clogged & I couldn't hear. It sounded like I had an earplug crammed in there! It was horrible!!!
Today is Wednesday...the earplug is still in there. I broke down today & went to an ENT (Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist). After I told her my story, she examined my outer ear by looking into it with one of those cone-shaped things...you know, the regular tool used for checking ears. THEN...she informed me that she needed to check my nasal cavities to ensure there was no internal obstruction. No problem, Doc! Yeah right. She came back with what appeared to be a firehouse that had a light & a camera on the end! I said (all of this in portuguêse, I remind you), "You're going to stick that thing where?!"
She told me that I wouldn't feel any pain (easy for her to say) but that it would be a little "strange." Um...ya. That was probably an understatement! The good thing is that she found no blockage. The bad thing...she sent me for a hearing test to rule out "Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome." I tested ok, but not 100%. She then informed me that her "hunch" was right. She diagnosed me with an internal ear VIRUS. Never heard of it. She gave me some meds to help advance the flow of fluids, said that it may take a few days for my hearing to return, & told me to come back next week. So, as of tonight I'm still saying, "What did you say, Laura?"
It's been a fun week of trying to speak, hear, & learn Portuguese while I constantly hear an echo. I actually have a joke now with my language professor. She will ask me something (something that I don't know the answer to) & I will blame my incorrect response on my ear! Gotta have fun with it, right?!
However, my devotion times this past week have gone hand-in-hand with my life's events. God has been speaking to me about slowing down & "listening" to His voice. I think He has my attention now. :) Life gets so busy that we often lose track of our time alone with the Father. Ministry, language, children, spouses, careers, sports, reading, friends...all of these are great things, but if we are losing our time with God because of these great things, then we are missing the most important thing of all. These things will automatically come together if we are spending quality time, not "checklist" time, with our Creator. If I knew that Laura wouldn't slap me, I think I would "clog up" my ears more often so I could hear the Spirit speak clearly.
Jesus spent one-on-one, uninterrupted time with the Father:
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." - Mark 1:35
Let's find our desolate place today so we can spend it with The Almighty One.
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