Embrace Your Language

In high school I took Latin and two years of French. I can't remember anything, even if my life depended on it. Several years ago I spent four weeks in Turkey and, with help from a few Turks I befriended, I learned to say some of the more popular greetings in Turkish. In return, I taught them some English. However, when even words become barriers in human communication, we resort to using our hands or drawing stick pictures to get the point across. It can be frustrating and a tad scary.

Take the time I traveled from London to Holland alone. I needed to take a bus from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to a remote little village in the north. And I didn't speak a stitch of Dutch. After the conference was over, on my journey back to London, that is when the real adventure began. Craig dropped me off at a tiny two track train station in the middle of Dutch cow-country. Alone, vulnerable, and a bit anxious about my travels back to Schiphol, I stood in front of the large ticket machine trying to "read" how to purchase a ticket to the right location. I just laughed and verbally said, "God, you've gotten me this far on my journey - I know you'll get me home. Now, which button do I push?????" That entire leg of the trip, it was just me and God. I had to switch trains four times before reaching the airport. The conductor spoke only Dutch and spoke it with incredible speed, so literally, I depended on nudges from the Holy Spirit to discern my every move. Gigging internally the whole time, I prayed, and God provided me with peace and grace. What an amazing experience that was. (I made it safely to the airport and flew back to London. Back to English territory!)

I was blown away by God's guidance, giving me the ability to "understand" the language enough to get from point A to point B safely. The power of the Spirit to give us what we need just when we need it...reminds me of a little story that I'm sure you're familiar with. There was a group gathered in a quaint little house when a Divine windstorm blew through and caused each person to speak a language not of their native tongue. Acts 2:4 says, "And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability." Then the devout Jews joined the ruckus and were completely amazed. "How can this be? These people are from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!" Acts 2:7-8.

With God, nothing is impossible. He had an eternal purpose for this group. So He filled His beloved followers with the power of the Holy Spirit - gave them this special gift so they could share the Word with many different people groups. No more language barriers. And today, we have churches all over the world and it all started there.

Your life has a purpose. My life has a purpose. We are no different from that group that gathered in that house. Jesus returned to heaven and in His place - the Holy Spirit blew in and now dwells in each believer's heart. He longs for us to "live into our skin" but often we don't know what that looks like or we are afraid to try. This passage in Acts speaks to me deeply and addresses my doubts head on. With confidence, I trust God will give me the "language" needed to fulfill His purpose (mission) for my allotted time on earth. I must ignore the excuses that I make and the lies I tell myself and just trust He'll give me what is needed as I trust my next step to Him. Just like the train ride in Holland. Me and God. All the way home.

Maybe you sense God leading you in a direction where you feel unqualified. Maybe in adequate. Or, under developed. Can you consider that, like in Acts 2:4, God will give you the "language" you need to fulfill the purpose He's entrusted you? Can you consider that through your creative endeavors, art will be borne and will speak all languages, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In what ways do you doubt? What would it look like to give in to the nudges of God and develop your "language" He has for you to speak? Remember, your church and my church would not exist today without the blazing power that was released on Pentecost. Well, that power is still here. It dwells within each follower's soul. Own it. Embrace it. Unleash it. You never know how God will grow it and use it for His ultimate purpose.

Grace & peace on the journey ~ deAnn