Speaking My Language
”My weaknesses are actually strengths.” –Michael Scott
People who are bilingual are automatically cooler. I have enough trouble with English as it is; and this is the only language I know. Imagine knowing more than one?!
Spanish and French are both high up on the list of languages I’d love to be able to speak fluently. I suppose I could, if I really dedicated the time.
The longer I think about it, the more I’m beginning to believe that understanding a language has a lot less to do with proper verb conjugation or precise pronunciation and a lot more to do with tone or expression.
There is another language that comes to mind. Now, I’m not sure if it’s one I’d like to speak fluently, though at times it all comes flooding back to me (it used to be the only language I knew). This language is very specific to the speaker’s home. Typically, only one or two people will understand the language in its fullness…
Parents speak fluent Child.
Their own child, to be specific.
Many a summer’s night growing up entailed an evening spent with multiple kids trying to employ every terrorist negotiation strategy I could think of in an effort to convince them to go to bed; yes, even though it’s still light out.
I can speak Child for a few hours, but then I get pretty tapped out (I’m not presently a mother, I do not have ~that dog in me~).
I’ve got absolutely nothing on the parents. They’re experts.
Watching a parent interact with their child is watching a rare and extremely personal form of communication that cannot be replicated.
Let me just say, kids are not here to make communication easy on us. They would have had to be shipped off by now if that were the case because it is so not their forte.
They mumble too softly, or scream too loudly. They use their fists instead of their words, or they refuse to use words at all.
Yet somehow, someway, a child’s parent can sift out the request or plea from the noise or lack thereof. Color me very impressed.
Parents are able to decipher a whole monologue from a simple grunt. How can this be? I’m no parent, but with my short communication fuse, I’m inclined to believe that you would have to have and abundance of Patience to endure the mumbling teenagers.
Hear me when I say: this is no slight to kids by any means. They are kids! They are learning about how to communicate right this very moment. I’m less focused on their communication learning curve, and more focused on their parent’s response of abundant Patience. The willingness to hear their child out and anticipate the undertones is a rich subconscious love.
Just as a parent knows exactly what to do with their child’s mutterings, Christ knows exactly what to do with our babbling.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 8:26 ESV
God, in His compassionate Patience, sticks around long enough to digest what we tell Him, no matter how incoherent it may be. He knew it long before we ever were scrambling for the noises and words.
Not only that, but He shows up and steps into the gap created by our communicative shortcomings. When I don’t know what to pray, I can remain fully confident that the Spirit of Christ is groaning with the intent of reaching the Father’s ear on my behalf.
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
Thank goodness God is Patient enough to speak Weak!
TTYL,
Lauren
Addi with the daily spider report –someone’s gotta do it!