Unity and Language: An Introduction

Language is a powerful thing. It has the ability to create and to destroy. While a kind word can heal a wound, a harsh word can open one up. We’ve all experienced the way the words of others can affect us, whether positively or negatively, and the way we can affect others when we speak, sometimes without even meaning to.

In fact, language is central to the human experience. After all, it’s what sets us apart from other animals. Sure, they may be able to communicate simple information to one another, but only we humans can use words to create dialogue, to craft stories, and to compel others with our (sometimes) well thought-out arguments. As Jonathan Merritt puts it in his book Learning to Speak God from Scratch, “We are word-shaped beings who live word-shaped lives within word-shaped communities. This, it seems, is by design.”

We get our propensity for speaking from God himself. The very first verses of the Bible tell us that the universe was created when the Lord spoke it into existence. He said, “Let it be,” and it was so. And when he said, “Let us make humanity in our image,” he spoke us into existence with that same ability to speak and to impact the world through the words that we say.

Scripture is full of stories that illustrate the role of language in shaping the world. Throughout history, God has used prophets, authors, poets, and preachers to get his message out there. Moses transcribed the law. David composed psalms of praise and lament. Jesus delivered sermons on mountaintops and the decks of ships. Paul penned letters from prison. And all of these words have been passed down for centuries to shape the lives of those who serve God.

One very interesting aspect of language is its ability to unite or divide us. A simple word or phrase can let us know more about a person than anything else. The way someone speaks can tell us where they’re from, how old they are, and so much more. Language lets us know who is like us and who isn’t, who we’re able to interact with and who we aren’t, and who we want to be around. It is an instant identifier.

Have you ever been to a place where you didn’t speak the language? Maybe you went to another country or to a place of business where the staff communicates differently, or maybe you just visited a family down the street who speaks another language at home. You can hear people talking around you, but it doesn’t make any sense. It all sounds like gibberish. Clearly they understand what they’re saying to each other, but you’re left in the dark. It can feel very isolating, can’t it?

I feel that way sometimes when I hang out with people at my church. We have a lot of very handy people there, and when they talk about their projects, they start using jargon that is completely foreign to me. I hear them say things like “quarter-inch drill bit,” and I know they’re speaking English, but it doesn’t sound like it to me. They start talking about two-by-fours and four-by-fours, and suddenly, I’m completely lost.

Here’s what I mean: Language can bring people together, or it can push them apart. When someone starts talking about a topic or hobby that you’re fond of, you instantly feel a connection with them. When you’re in an unfamiliar place and you hear someone speaking your language, you perk up because you know that’s someone you can communicate with. Connecting with someone over common language can be like a breath of fresh air, while being unable to connect with others can make you feel like the wind's been knocked out of you.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at stories from the Bible that touch on language and its power to unify and divide us. In reading scripture, we see both sides of the coin: the way that language can be a force for good and the way that we can use it to destroy others. The choice is really up to us, and we’ll see that throughout this series.

Really, these stories are using language as a metaphor for the connection, the oneness, and the unity we feel with our fellow human beings. We put a lot of stake in language and what it reveals to us about the people around us. And scripture actually has a lot to say about that.

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to dive into it! So come back next week for the first story. (And if you’re one of those people who likes to read again, give Genesis 11.1-9 a look this week.) I’ll see you then. Thank you for reading, friends!

The Best Gift

The new year is in full swing, and Christmas 2018 already feels like a distant memory. It was certainly one to remember, though. For me and Katherine, it was our first Christmas as a married couple, as well as our first Christmas in our new house. In the midst of our attempts to celebrate with each and every one of our loved ones, we took a little time just to ourselves on Christmas morning to enjoy one another and, of course, to exchange gifts.

To me, the perfect gift exists at the intersection of two categories: (1) things I really like and (2) things I would never buy for myself. Any item that checks both of those boxes is sure to inspire delight when I open it. I’m happy to report that my wife did an exceptional job of finding gifts that fell into those categories this year. Among other things, she gave me two smart light switches for our house.

You might be thinking, “That sounds like the nerdiest gift in the world,” and you would be correct. It is the nerdiest gift in the world! But to be honest, there’s nothing I could have wanted more. Ever since we started building the house, Katherine has had to patiently endure my rants and daydreams about turning it into a smart house, one we can automate and control with our voices. As you can imagine, overpriced wifi-enabled appliances are not at the top of our priority list right now, so when I unwrapped them on Christmas morning, I beamed like a child who had just opened a new toy.

I thought I had just received the greatest gift in the world. And it was awesome, to be sure. I would soon learn, though, that there is a gift greater than a smart switch, even for someone like me.

After a few days of gathering supplies for the project, I set to work on installing my brand new smart switches. I decided to put them out in the garage so that I could automate our garage lights to come on at sunset. That way, we’d never come home to a dark house. I put on my headlamp and grabbed my trusty drill (both gifts, by the way), and I got to work.

It may seem silly, but it’s hard to express the joy I felt while undergoing that project. Taking apart a piece of the house—our house—in order to understand it and make it better felt so satisfying. When I put it all back together, there was that moment of truth when I found out if my work had paid off. I flipped the breaker on, tapped the switch, and the light worked. I was overjoyed! I ran inside to tell my wife the good news and to show her the fact that I could now control our garage lights with Siri. Like I said, it sounds ridiculous from the outside, but from my point-of-view, it was exhilarating.

Using my own hands, tools, and skills, I was able to take our home and improve it. I was able to leave my mark on it in a way that I can see each and every day. I was able to enjoy the fruit of my labor in a simple light bulb being lit. And when it was all said and done, I was able to be proud of the work I’d done to make my home a better place for my family.

As happy as the gadgets made me on Christmas morning, nothing can replace the feeling I got from actually putting them to use, seeing the effect they had, and knowing that I had made it happen. I like to think that when my wife wrapped those boxes, she knew she wasn’t just giving me a new toy; she was giving me an opportunity to do something truly productive and feel accomplished in that. And that really is the best gift she could have given me.

Often, we focus on providing our friends, family members, and loved ones with the things they want rather than the things that truly feed their souls. Material gifts are nice and can be very meaningful. I would never try to discount them. But they’re not the most important things in life, and they’re not the best gifts we can give.

Accomplishment. Fulfillment. Encouragement. These are the greatest gifts that we can give one another, and we can do so in the most creative of ways. Maybe it comes disguised as a nerdy gadget, or maybe it’s as simple as a kind word. Only you can look past the surface and see what might touch someone you love. But take it from someone who’s recently been on the receiving end of such a gift: There truly is no better way to show someone you care.

I’m so thankful for the amazing gift that was given to me, and it is my goal to share the same sorts of gifts with my loved ones. Because we can all do something to encourage and enrich those around us today. Everyone enjoys a gift like that. How can you share one today?

Yesterday’s Mysteries, Today’s Normal

I’ll never forget the first time I hooked up a DVD player. It may seem cheesy, but it really was a rite of passage for me, and not just because of my interest in technology. All of my life, my parents had been the ones to set up every gadget that came into our house. They’d connect all the cables, set the TV to the right channel (Was it three or four?), and presto! It worked. To me, it was confusing magic, and I never imagined that I’d be able to master it myself.

Then one day when I was around ten, my family purchased a new DVD player that I wanted to use. Maybe my parents were busy or maybe my curiosity just got the better of me. I’m honestly not sure why I did it, but I opened up the box and started taking things out, piece by piece. Before I knew it, I was plugging the red, white, and yellow cables into their ports, connecting the power, and turning on the TV. Then… presto! Suddenly, the magic was mine to wield.

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Sitting in the back of her minivan as a child, I never really considered how my mom always knew exactly where to go. Whether it was somewhere we went regularly or a place she’d never been to before, she always seemed to know how to get there. I’m not directionally inclined, so I didn’t pay much attention. I would buckle in and start playing a video game or reading until the vehicle came to a stop and it was time to get out. I assumed that my mother, like other adults, just knew where everything was somehow, and that was that.

But when I started driving myself, that naive assumption was immediately shattered. Once it became my job to navigate, it became clear that there is no secret knowledge. Adults don’t magically know where everything is. Rather, we rely on previous knowledge, context clues, and resources like GPS to figure out where we’re going. Add a bit of luck to the mix, and we might just get there safely.

These days, I’m the adult driving my nephew around. As I use whatever means necessary to ensure that we get where we’re going, he sits in the back seat, trusting that I somehow know what I’m doing. He’s in for a big surprise one day when he get his license. But until then, I think I’ll just let him share in the facade that I once believed in.

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Only this year did I get the full experience of what it’s like to own a Christmas tree. Sure, I’ve helped decorate before, but it’s never been my job to make sure that everything looks nice, is taken care of, and gets put away neatly for next year. For me, that’s always been the responsibility of others and, thus, a mystery.

But not this year. Katherine and I are living in our own house now, which means no one else is going to put up a tree for us. So we shopped, we unpacked, and we decorated. And last week, while Katherine was working and my office was still closed for the holidays, I took a Christmas tree down for the first time in my life.

It wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was new. I started with the ornaments, placing them carefully back into their boxes. Then I unwound the strands of tinsel and lights and put them away. And finally, I took the tree apart and stuffed it as gracefully as I could back into the box. A little bit of vacuuming later, I was done.

And as I looked over my work, I felt something I didn’t expect: I was proud of myself. Like I said, taking the tree down wasn’t hard. It didn’t even take as long as I had expected. But it was one of those things I had never done before, one of those things I associated with being an “adult,” one of those things that was a mystery to me until I actually tried it myself. And once I did, I found myself fully capable of handling it.

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Much of what we adults do on a day-to-day basis are things that we could hardly fathom doing as children: cooking, cleaning, working, driving, and the like. They seem so mundane to us now, but not too long ago, they were mysterious. Difficult. Magical, even. And now, they’re just part of our everyday lives.

I’m not saying that we deserve an award for being functional human beings, but maybe we should give ourselves a little more credit. What’s normal for us today was difficult yesterday. Our baseline now is what we pretended to be and strove for when we were younger. The skills we’ve accumulated and the things we’ve accomplished may not seem out of the ordinary, but they are significant. They matter. And we have every right to be proud of them.

You may not be exactly where you want to be, but you’ve come a long way. And if you play your cards right, you’ll be able to look back soon and see even more progress that’s been made. It all starts with recognizing where you are, giving yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished, and building on that success. It’s there if you’ll just look for it. And once you find it, you can use it as a building block towards where you want to go.

So pat yourself on the back from time to time, even if it’s just for something small. That small thing used to be a big thing, and now you’re ready to take on something new. You’ve got this. You’ve come so far. And only you can determine how much further you’ll go.

God bless, friends. Here’s to more mysteries mastered in 2019.

Busyness

At this point, it’s old news that we’re too busy. Our schedules have become so saturated by our responsibilities, commitments, expectations, and plans that we simply don’t have time for anything else. There are only 24 hours in each day, and we fill every single one of them to the brim.

This overcommitment isn’t without consequence. Sleep deprivation is on the rise. (Though if you’re looking for a sound investment, melatonin sales are through the roof.) Stress and anxiety are now baseline parts of life rather than sporadic occurrences. And trying to plan any sort of meaningful time with loved ones is a chore that will drive one to their wits’ end.

Never is our culture’s obsession with being busy more apparent than during the holiday season. We’re rushing from one party to another, stopping in-between to pick up gifts for every person we’ve ever met, trying desperately not to miss a single event or program. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, life is an absolute blur. If you blink, you’ll miss it completely. But again, I’m not telling you anything new.

I’m beginning to give up on the fight against busyness, at least during this time of year. I do my best, but even my time management skills are no match for the constant societal pressure I feel to be constantly go-go-going. Besides, there are too many people I want to see and too many things I want to do. The temptation to never ever stop is real, and I’m not always the best at fighting it.

But not all is lost. I’ve learned that even if I can’t stop being busy all the time, I can at least be selective about what I’m busy doing. If I’m going to be constantly doing things, then they better be the things that matter to me the most. Otherwise, what’s the point in being busy at all?

Prioritization is a difficult skill to learn, but I’m starting to think it’s the key to navigating this tireless world we live in. If we’re going to make our lives meaningful in the midst of all of the stress, noise, and busyness, then we have to know what matters to us, and we have to put those things first. This takes practice. It takes focus. It takes discipline. But it’s doable, and it’s worth it.

It will look different for different people. For some, it may mean literally making an ordered list of the people and things that matter most and then referring to that list when deciding what to commit to. For me, it’s more about learning to say no to the things that aren’t important enough. That may sound cold, but the truth is that if we simply say yes to everything, there eventually won’t be enough room for it all. And if we’re not careful, the most important things may fall through the cracks.

So yes, I’m extremely busy this time of year, just as I’m sure you are. I haven’t figured out how not to be busy yet, but if I do, I promise to write an article about it. In the meantime, I’m practicing discernment in how I choose to be busy in hopes that I can make my busyness mean something. I’d encourage you to do the same so that we can all make this time of year something special for ourselves and those we love.

Contributing

Life is a series of group projects. We learn this early, starting when we’re in school. If you’re like me, you hated group work growing up and looked forward to one day graduating and being responsible only for yourself. Then you got into the job field and—surprise!—literally everything is group work.

We like to think of ourselves as independent creatures, but the truth is that nothing we do is truly a solo effort. Everything we accomplish requires other people on some level. Whether it’s offering advice or support, teaching us something we didn’t already know, or finishing part of a project that we’re unable or too busy to do, we’re constantly collaborating with others in order to achieve our collective and individual goals.

I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s taken me 26 years to realize this, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t accomplish anything worth doing in this life on my own. I need other people in order to make an impact on the world. And you do, too. Because life is a team sport, and we’re going to have to work together to succeed.

But here’s my biggest problem with group work: I never know if I’m doing enough. I don’t see myself as particularly skilled or charismatic or intelligent, and so I often feel like I’m not bringing anything to the table when I‘m working with talented, smart people. I’m a part of the group, sure, but I don’t feel like I’m adding anything of value.

This can lead to feelings of guilt and frustration. I ask myself, “Why am I here? I have nothing to offer.” And when the project’s done and others say nice things about it, I feel wrong taking any sort of credit, so I downplay my involvement. It’s not that I don’t want to be a team player. I just never feel like I’m contributing enough to deserve to be a part.

I used to think this was unique, that I was the only one who struggled with these feelings of inadequacy. But the more people I work with, the more I hear the same thoughts echoed back in the voices of others. It’s almost like we’ve each been programmed to believe that we aren’t good enough, that we’re not doing enough, that we aren’t enough. We carry those insecurities with us when we work with others, and they hold us back.

Because when we feel like we don’t have anything to offer, we don’t offer anything. We don’t step up when the need arises. We don’t take the lead, even when we’re qualified. We stifle our ideas that could turn out to be really helpful innovations. We hold ourselves back, which just leads to even stronger feelings that we aren’t doing enough, and it turns into a vicious cycle.

Here’s the truth, though: You do have a lot to offer. And if you’re worried about doing enough, that means your heart is in the right place. You just have to get past your insecurities and buy in to what the group is doing.

Studies show that the groups who have the most success are the groups with the most diversity. This means that simply by being a part of a group, you are bringing knowledge, experience, and insight that makes the group better. You do so with nothing more than your presence. And the more you give yourself over the group and its vision, the better you make it.

Each of us has been blessed with God-given gifts, talents, interests, and more that others don’t have. We’ve been given these things for a purpose, and that purpose is to make the world a better place. When we allow our insecurities and frustrations to hold us back from using our gifts, we’re depriving the world of something great, and we aren’t living up to our callings.

I’ve found that once I let go of my feelings of inadequacy and really start to believe in something, I can’t help but get swept away in it. I can’t help but dream and come up with ideas for how to make a project better. I can’t hold back the joy I feel when things progress and when the work is finally complete. When I lean in and exercise the gifts God has given me, I become my best self, and everyone is better for it.

You have something to offer. You are making your groups better simply by being a part of them, and you have so much to contribute. So don’t hold yourself back. Let go of the insecurities, trust yourself, lean on your partners, and see how far you can go. I know it works because I’ve been learning how to do it, too, and I can assure you that it’s well worth it.

Thanks for reading, friends! I’ll see you next week.