Speaking A Different Language

When my two college-aged grandchildren are home on school break, I'm often invited to the home of my daughter and son-in-law for games night with my grandkids and their friends. When we play word games or trivia games, that's when our generational differences begin to show up, especially exhibited by wide differences in familiarity with language and terminology. Despite the fact that we are all speaking English, at times, an outside observer would think that we are speaking different languages! I do well in the areas of general knowledge, history, and literature, but I stumble badly in pop culture and even current affairs at times. The college kids know names and events that I didn't even know exist! Straightforward and obvious clues that I give seem obscure to them, and clues that the college kids give are often totally meaningless to me, especially those about video games and pop culture, which are part of a younger generation's world. They might as well be speaking a different language.

We may often find ourselves in other situations where others around us seem to be speaking a different language. They may be using technical terms or abbreviations that we don't understand, or they may be talking about places and events that we know nothing about. Even unspoken words, expressed through body language and attitudes, can speak volumes, yet sometimes lead to unintended misunderstandings.

Of special concern can be a blurred message of faith resulting from Christian jargon that may be meaningless to unbelievers. We need to be cautious about using words or expressions that we have become familiar with, such as "being saved" (saved from what?), "justified", "walking in the Spirit", "washed in the blood", and so on, that may be baffling to a non-church-goer.

We can risk hurt and misunderstanding if we don't take time or make the effort to learn about things that are important to others. We may never be able to understand totally others' circumstances and viewpoints, but it will help if we determine to be as open-minded and understanding as possible.

1 Corinthians 13, "the love chapter", cautions us that our most articulate words are meaningless if they are not accompanied by loving actions. The apostle Paul says, "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT)

How important it is not only to listen carefully to what others are saying to us, but also to weigh our own words so that communication between us and others is clear, rather than garbled. Let's both listen and speak in such a way that our words are a blessing.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank You for language, the vehicle that allows us to communicate with each other. May we choose our words carefully so as to bless and edify ourselves as well as others. Amen.

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