A still small voice - or in my case 2

I Kings 19:11 And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. 13 When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here? As an educator, it falls to me to evaluate my student's weaknesses and to determine how to fix them and it seems that every year there is one student that leaves me at loss. This year it is a hearing impared student (also my daughter's boyfriend) who has only about 25% hearing in one ear and 50% in the other. When I speak to Joshua, it requires that I get his attention which often means I must stop what I am doing, approach him and (if he's mad at me at that point) pound on his desk. Even when I am sitting right in front of him, Josh can (and sometimes does) refuse to look at me. Don't get me wrong, I typically have a wonderful relationship with this student and have often signed to him that I love him enough to let him be mad at me. One major issue I have is that when he gets frustrated, he acts out. If we are in a public place, he doesn't want me to sign to him. When we are in a setting where I know he can't hear, he turns away or gets angry if I try to sign to him, refusing to admit that he doesn't hear what is being said. Joshua has a Sign Lauguage interpreter who comes to every class with him, but often he sits and ignores the very assistance that could make him more successful. He has told my daughter he hates being deaf through his tears of frustration. My greatest desire is to help this student close his learning gaps, but I often find that I am as frustrated with his deafness as he is. Joshua has an older brother who is also hearing impared. The difference is that Jeromey has chosen to acknowledge his deafness, removing his hearing aids and attempting to adapt to a hearing world as an unhearing person. The most profound thing about Jeromey is, that as a result of his hearing imparement, his speaking voice is extremely quiet and soft. To truly understand what he is saying, I must stop and focus. I have to force myself to shut out all outside influences and give him my undivided attention. My experiences with Jeromey have been pleasant, and because of his speach, almost soothing. Unlike Joshua, Jeromey accepts his deafness but still reaches out to the hearing world around him. Today as I am thinking about Joshua and Jeromey, I wonder, does God think that my spirit is 'hearing impared'? I have to wonder how many times God has thought, "I have to stop what I'm doing, approach LeAnn, and if she's mad at me, 'pound on her desk'?" I imagine He is aware that "When she gets frustrated, she acts out. When we are in public, she doesn't want Me to 'sign' to her. When she is in a setting where I know she can't 'hear' what is happening she turns away or gets angry and refuses to look to Me if I try to 'sign' to her. I wonder if the Holy Spirit thinks, 'she doesn't want to avail herself of the assistance I provide. Sometimes in this life I have to wonder if am I the strong wind, the broken mountains, the pieces of rock, or the raging fire (where the Lord's presence is not)? Maybe, instead being like Joshua -- the storming 'deaf' person who is frustrated with his inability to change his situation, choosing to ignore his inability to hear and refusing to acknowledge that someone is speaking to him,-- I need to to be more like Jeromey and accept that I am limited but still need to reach out to the 'Hearing One' who is always near me and is always speaking (whether I acknowledge Him or not). When I admit my 'hearing deficit' I can give Him my full attention, and listen to the still small voice. I can take the time to shut out the 'world' around me and focus on Him, (as I must do with Jeromey) to understand what He has to say. I know that those times with the Lord have been some of the most soothing to my soul. The truth is, Joshua and Jeromey have way more to teach me than I will ever have to teach them.