Speaking to the Deaf

Today at work, I served an older deaf man whom came in to my workplace looking to buy some bearings. The man came in, unloaded some broken pieces and parts of whatever he was working on onto the counter and started pointing. At this point, I didn't know he was deaf (deaf people don't look any different, apparently). I started to ask some questions about what exactly he wanted and he continued to glare at me and point at broken pieces. This went on for 30 seconds or so until he angrily grunted, whined, and frantically shove pieces together in an attempt to show me what he needed. I still didn't understand what he wanted at this point, but I did then realize he was either mute, deaf, or both. A few moments later, his friend walked in and tried to translate for me. However, there was more communication breakdown as I found out the deaf man didn't read lips, didn't know sign language, and both gentlemen spoke very little English. After much deliberation, I found the parts the man needed, but didn't have them in stock. The deaf man probably left as frustrated as I was.

I went back to my desk and complained to my associate about the deaf man's inability to communicate despite his aural disability. I then began to think about my own communication skills and what the man might have thought about my attempt to find the man's needs. I can't imagine I was any more sympathetic to him than he would have been to me. Was I being a good listener? Despite several frantic attempts to get my attention, we never quite ended up on the same wavelength nor was I able to help him in an efficient manner.

Then I began to wonder if God gets that easily frustrated with us. We point to the broken pieces in our lives. We stare at an invisible God with glazed eyes and frantically show Him what we want. We ask simple questions. We mumble our prayers. We don't read God's mind and sometimes we don't even speak His language. Sometimes, we are a deaf people, quiet to our own God's ears. Sometimes it feels our message just doesn't get through.

Yet, God is not deaf. He speaks our language. He hears our prayers. He answers our prayers. That's when we need to realize that God doesn't need to be told what our problems are; he knows them. He doesn't need us point our fingers; he knows where the problem really is. He loves us that much. God sent His son Jesus to understand us better; to feel and experience exactly what we do. Think of Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. He struggled to make sense of his story. He assumed the beatings, the humiliation, the pain, the death and practically begged for their to "be another way". But, there wasn't. Though Jesus wept, prayed, pointed fingers, struggled, His voice did not go unheard. His Father heard every word, but Jesus' story went on.

His story = history.

And so does ours. We're not always going to get the results we want. We are not always going to get the answers we want. We cannot demand or expect anything from God. Rather, he demands and expects from us. Unanswered questions, unaccomplished attempts at our own dreams, and unfulfilled situations are all a part of our story. We're called to be a listening people. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Though God wants to hear our requests from our own lips, He knows our real needs, desires, and answers. We will not hear His word to us if we're always talking, asking, inquiring, and demanding from Him.

This is where the Holy Spirit comes in handy. The Spirit is the fine line between asking and demanding; talking and listening. I didn't have a "spirit" or interpreter between the old deaf man and myself. If I did, things would have been a lot smoother. But God gives us the Holy Spirit as a catalyst for communication with Him. Not only does the Holy Spirit send our "message" to God, but t also returns the favour.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17).

So when we're fighting or struggling with an issue, talk it out with God but don't forget to let Him speak back. Because if we're doing all the talking and not listening for any of His wisdom, we might as well be speaking to the deaf.