Hearing, speaking, reading and writing are amazing God-given gifts with which we express what we call language. Through language, we can travel to the past present or future and even go to lands that only exist within the author´s mind.
In the past month I have met Zeus, Psyche, Hades, Cupid, Artemis, Athena, Poseidon and many others and I have spent some time in a couple of ancient civilizations! I have experienced the grandeur of Atlantis and seen its fiery destruction as the earth rose in travail and devoured that ancient land of myth and fantasy for its exceeding wickedness! I have watched Atlantis be reborn in the modern world in a work of fiction I read called, "World Without End!" I have also traveled into the hearts and minds of other authors as they have told the non-fiction accounts of their own grappling with God, life, faith, disappointment and truth.
As I have read and pondered, many things have passed through my mind that I could write about. Today, I want to talk about the power of language and the blessing of being able to express thoughts, emotion, passion, wisdom, knowledge and creativity.
"In the beginning was the Word...", is how the Gospel according to John opens. In these few profound words, John shows us that everything begins with a thought spoken out into the void. The ancient Greeks believed that this "Word" or "Logos" was the origination and genesis of all seen things. Plato believed that the Logos was the original thought or explanation behind the scenes bringing the visible things into existence. The great saint John goes on to tell a primarily Greek speaking audience that, "...The Word was with God, and the Word was God." John gives personality, reason, intelligence and many other attributes to this creative concept known to the Greeks merely as the "Logos."
Inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, John further tells us that, "The Word became flesh(human) and lived among us!" This Word was and is Jesus Christ, the thought and explanation of God to mankind! Jesus is the Creator, genesis and original thought of God through whom all things seen and unseen came to be!
When God wanted to disclose Himself to us in a tangible way and let us read, hear, speak, understand and act upon what He wanted to say, He spoke Jesus into the womb of the virgin girl Mary. With that, the greatest story ever told became an infant inside the young woman overcome by the angel Gabriel and the power of the Holy One. The language of God to humanity is Jesus, the very Word with skin on!
The language of Mexico is Spanish and I don´t speak it. Mexico is a wonderful place filled with sights, sounds, smells and a language that is mostly foreign to all of us in the Sherman family. Language is the one thing that seems to keep us on the "outside looking in" as we try to communicate here in the land that Cortes and the Spaniards conquered. When God confused the languages at the tower of Babel, He truly knew that the best way to keep people from becoming their own gods was to keep them apart with language. Not that I am not learning some Spanish, for I am learning "poquito!" What I am saying though, is that I cannot really enjoy the richness of Mexico and its folk history, fiction, myth and uniqueness as I could if I knew Espanol. Even the language itself contains nuances that are interwoven into all of the aforementioned elements that make up what we call a culture. Language is key.
I find myself feeling rather infant-like as I go through the process that all of us must go through to learn to live on this planet. As a little baby, I first learn to listen to words and recognize their meaning. After listening for some time, I begin to speak as a baby would with all of the inherent wrong pronunciations. One of the many differences of course is the simple fact that I experience embarrassment and feelings of incompetence. Next, I make attempts at reading, which is really humorous! Forget about writing, I know my limitations!
Language is an amazing gift from God for the purpose of expressing ourselves and being almost god-like in the creation of worlds made from words. However, I long for the day when all is made right and the curse of Babel is removed and we can all speak a common tongue in the kingdom of the Word made flesh! Until then, I will continue to stumble around Mexico and other places on this wonderful planet making a fool of myself and saying things like "no comprende."
Isn't it funny how even here in our own culture you can go to places in America where you don't 'speak the language'. Or even in some business arenas like the Military, or Mine Workers in West Virginia, Wall Street, etc. Little nuances and slang can be hugley important to really catch the jist of what someone is saying.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we had a foreign exchange student from Spain in High School his father and uncles came for his graduation. There we were sitting around the dinner table and we say, "Nacho (that was really his name) what are they saying?" And he replies, "Eh....I'm not sure, they're talking too fast!" He also expressed that there was at least one sub-group in Spain that spoke a dead language that he just simply didn't understand.
Another good couple to talk to about the 'restrictions' of language is Lami and Zacharia. They can really tell you about all the language differences from their homeland! :)
Blessings to ya Mr. Vacation Man!
Funny how many of our thoughts and posts seem to parallel one another...hmmm, maybe God is everywhere, speaking...
ReplyDeleteWhile in Korea I found that while many could read and write English, speaking it in the proper structure was a rare occurance. I remember one morning after being away from eachother (the Americans) for an entire day, we stood in the courtyard talking. One of the girls wiped tears from her eyes as she said. "I'm so glad to be back with you guys, I just love being able to talk to you!" Being understood was what mattered. Telling a joke and having people laugh because they knew exactly where you were coming from, or being able to just ramble on without having to think of a simplified way to state your point, became a precious comodity.
The importance of speaking the language can not be underestimated, but knowledge cannot travel beyond the language boundary it exists in, unless it is translated or 'received' by someone who masters the language the knowledge object exists in. In the days of the abomination of slavery, slave owners often didn't allow their slaves to learn to read or write because they were afraid it would empower them. The Dalai Lama, Presidents of the US, and many other leaders believe that education (particularly reading, writing and speaking) is the answer to many of their countries problems. They're right to some degree (apart from God). To be able to record your thoughts, history, opinions, and to be able to travel through the land of others' thoughts and opinons is the precise reason why Johann Gutenburg was named the #1 most influential person of the last century. Inventing the printing press allowed for information to be read, percieved, and judged by all - who could read.
Okay, enough of my ramblings...
Next time you go on sebatical, try Western Canada! LOL!
Happy Thanksgiving, Shermans!
ReplyDeleteYou are loved. And I'm encouraged to say that as strong as the feelings are here at GHC there is a God in heaven who blows all of our earthly sentiments away. Your family are His and you'll never be able to escape that amazing reality.
Looking forward to hearing how you chose to celebrate Turkey day!
Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to you,Peggy and the youngins.I have so much to be thankfull for this year I couldn't even begin to bore you with details.I can say one thing tho you and your family have made permanent blessing changes in my heart.
ReplyDeletelove and miss you all
Timothy