Hear the word of the Lord

As we travel in our Ford Expedition, Terry focuses on driving, and doesn't say much.  I sometimes look up from my book and break the silence.  I start talking.  "You're talking to the window again.  I can't hear you," he says.  My first thought is to be irritated.  I repeat the comment, a little louder this time, or else say, "Oh never mind," if it seems like too much effort to say it again.
Terry has a moderate to severe hearing loss and wears hearing aids in both ears.
Why do I respond with such irritation?  It stems from one of my character weaknesses, that is, a perfectionistic nature.  I like to have "all my ducks in a row."  I am impatient when things don't turn out perfectly, people don't  act the way I think they should, or situations don't go according to my plan.  God is working on me, however, and I  am getting better.
In the Old Testament, in Exodus chapter 4, Moses was complaining to God.  He said, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words.  I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me.  I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled."  He did not think he could go to Pharoah to ask him to release the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt and give them permission to leave the country. 
God's answer was surprising.  "Who makes a person's mouth?  Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see?  Is it not I, the Lord?"
In the same way, God is in control of Terry's life, and knows all about his lack of hearing. 
Moses kept pleading with God to send someone else.  Finally God relented and allowed Moses' brother, Aaron, to go with him and speak for him.  They would do the job together. 
In Matthew 19 Jesus talks about marriage.   When a man and woman get married, they are joined together and become one.  "Since they are no longer two but one," said Jesus, "let no one split apart what God has joined together."  If I am irritated at my spouse, I am not treating him as my other half.  Moreover, I'm supposed to be treating him better than the way I treat myself.  Did I not promise to share my worldly goods with him? (Except my duvet; we got used to our own duvets when we lived in Europe) I am to share in helping Terry with his hearing, not critisizing it as an imperfection.
When Terry had demonstrated to him some new hearing aids at the Beltone hearing centre in Canada, he longed to try the new technology.  We always thought it was too expensive, and just thought, "Someday."  "Maybe it would be less expensive in the States." Terry thought.  It has come up every now and then in the last three months.  Finally, we made an appointment in Foley, here in Alabama. 
The hearing specialist invited me to be part of the appointment.  He demonstrated conversations on the computer, picking out the scenarios Terry said he had trouble with, and testing his reaction to them.  One was of  a couple interacting with the server in a crowded, noisy restaurant. After playing it through, the specialist said, "And this is how you're hearing it."  What came up was half the conversation, the other half a muffled, distorted sound.  Tears came to my eyes.  I don't cry easily, but today I cried.  For the first time I understood how those situations sounded to Terry. I understood for the first time the reason for his frustration.
"I'm so sorry!  I don't care what they cost; just get those hearing aids!"  I exclaimed.
Just before we left, I asked the specialist if he would mind checking my ears for wax.  I saw my ear canals larger than life on the computer screen, down to the last hairs.  A large dark blob appeared in my right ear.  "It's enormous!"  I thought.  It wasn't really that big, and was easily removed. 
It was as if God himself removed the wax from my ear so I could finally hear what he was saying to me.
A week later, a follow-up appointment.  The hearing aids were tweaked.  Terry shared how he had been able to hear individual voices in the coffee room, and not just a din. 
On the way home we were chatting.  "Hey, I can hear you, and you're talking to the window!"
Anyone with ears to hear should  listen and understand.   Mark 4:9