Learning the Language

Back when I first moved to the great state of Texas, I had no idea that the people here spoke a whole different language. On my first day in a new dorm room, a girl knocked on the door and asked, "Kin Ah borrah a paw-pan?"

"Excuse me, a what??" I leaned forward to understand.

"A paw-pan! Ah'd lahk ta make a paw." She saw my puzzled expression and continued. "Ya know, a cherry paw, with a crust and a fillin'."

"A PIE! You want to borrow a PIE PAN!" And that was my first introduction to speaking Texan.

I've since learned a colorful vocabulary, which includes:

• Lot: God made a bright lot to rule the day, and lesser one to rule the "not."

• Lot bub: The electricity-powered device used for illumination.

• Bob War: Wire fencing to keep them cows whar they b'long.

• Janes: Denim pants, worn everywhere, from baseball games to weddings.

• Tot Janes: Denim pants that have become snug from eating too much BBQ.

It took quite awhile for my ear to become accustomed to the cadence and inflections of the southern accent. I had to say "Pardon me?" often, and had to memorize which consonants were dropped regularly, and which words got stre-e-e-tched into more syllables than you could imagine.  But eventually, I caught on to the language, and have even been accused of speaking with a bit of a twang myself, after all these years of southern immersion.

It reminds me of learning to hear God's "language," or voice, when he speaks to you. When you are first introduced to him, you might not understand what he is saying...simply because you aren't accustomed to his cadence, his inflections and tone.

"Pardon me, Lord? Could you repeat that...only slower??"

It seems confusing, because your ear hasn't been used to spiritual things. But as you spend time with him, getting to know him in his word, and listening for his voice, his language starts to become familiar to you. The scriptures that were once so foreign begin making sense. You hear patterns and see gestures that communicate his message to you....through his word, through other believers, through events he's orchestrated, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit. And after awhile, you even pick up a bit of his twang, as your own speech becomes sprinkled with scripture and "amens!" Funny how that happens.

• John 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me."

You know, spending time in his word is the place to start, to get your ear accustomed to hearing his voice. It familarizes you with his speech and cadence, so that you'll be able to recognize his leading when it happens.

Are you learning God's language? How is he leading you? How have you learned to recognize his voice?

Rachel - still in language school