VISION OF THE POSSIBLE -CHAPTER 6

Overview

Language learning.  Do I need to say much more?

Comments

Learning language and learning it well is vital.  As Sinclair points, Jesus is our model as he left heaven to become man.  He became man to reach man.  Also Paul wrote in Corinthians, “I have become all things to all people to save some.”  This takes a large investment of time to learn their language and learn it well and the problem is we often get impatient and want to see some things happen and happen fast.  As  noted, we need to look at our language learning as a ministry as we respect their language and culture but also that Christ sees our time and sacrifice as a service to Him. 

On a personal note, I have definately seen ups and downs in my language learning.  There have been times I felt like advancement was happening and others where I have been in a rut.  I think my main problem is that our fallback language of spanish is always there and it is very easy for me to fall into that habit of speaking spanish in order to communicate quickly.  Some of the villages  in our area actually have lost the indigenous language and speak only Spanish but on the other hand there are still so many that speak only the indigenous language.  I know this is Satan’s strategy to be comfortable only using Spanish and something I constantly fight against.  I liked the perspective on mindset: if we believe we are going to learn it then it will most likely happen.  If we are negative about language learning, we are not going to see results.  I was part of a study yesterday on Acts chapter 2 when the believers received the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages to reach the people.  Through that study and this chapter, I see God speaking to me to refocus my language learning.