Submitted by Julie Merrin, Field Coordinator in SE Asia
After three months in the United States where Rachel (my daughter) never heard anyone conversing in Indonesian, her own Indonesian language skills were a bit rusty to say the least. (Her Indonesian language skills, that is. Her English had plenty of nearly non-stop practice.) I was amused to hear her interact with the neighbor children who came over to play almost as soon as we pulled in the gate. She would enthusiastically relate one story or another to her friends in rapid-fire English, blissfully unaware that they had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
Aren’t you glad that God chose to “speak the same language” to us? The great Creator God of the universe did not merely talk AT us in ways that were completely unintelligible to us. Instead, Jesus came to live among us, experience what we experience, grieve over things that cause us grief, and laugh about things that bring us joy. He came to us as a human being so that He could communicate to us how great the love of the Father actually is. He spoke our language so we could understand Him.
Now Rachel will quickly get back the Indonesian language she has temporarily buried somewhere in her head. I hear more of it coming out of her mouth every day. Before long, she will once again be able to speak the language of the kids she plays with. In the meantime, whenever I hear her speak English to someone who does not understand it, I am reminded of how Jesus stepped out of His comfort zone to speak to us in a way we could understand. It also reminds me of how I need to “speak the heart language” of the people around me. Not merely the Indonesian or Balinese language. It is important to get to truly KNOW the people I hope to share with so that when I do share, I do it in a way that they can relate to…in a way that the Holy Spirit can use to touch their hearts.
So I ask you…what language do YOU speak to those around you?