Not just the click of a button

I am horribly monolingual. 

Bob and I spent six years living in married student housing at Indiana University/Bloomington while he was working on his degree, with three little girls in tow, and thus we were surrounded by many cultures.  My dad used to say we lived in a mini-UN.  Our eldest had a map of the globe on her wall, and since our kids attended the university elementary school, we realized that she knew children from every continent save one (Antartica—does anyone actually live there?  BRRRrrrr!)

So I obviously had the opportunity to learn other languages.  I was, however, a bit busy raising three small daughters and working part time—evenings, night shift, weekends—to put a husband through grad school. 

Excuses, excuses.

Now we have this fancy thing on the computer called the “translate button”, but I’ve found that it doesn’t really do a complete job.  I offered this to one of my friends I know from from grad school who is from Brazil, just starting up her own blog.  I noticed that she writes in Portuguese first, then does her own translation into English.  When I told her about this short cut, she also added that it just wasn’t enough of a translation.  So much better is you actually speak the lingo.

So I appreciate her taking the time to do her own explanations in a way that I can get it. 

 “…but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.”

Which is exactly what God had to do for me by sending His Son, Jesus.  I don’t “speak” Heaven.  I’m not from there.  I don’t even have a translate button for it.  I mean, the Old Testament sort of was an attempt to explain God to us, but we even messed that one up. 

Then Jesus showed up… 

 “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God,…” 

And…

 “Jesus replied, “…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!

Of course, we prompted nailed Him to a cross.  Which, amazingly, was actually part of the plan since He didn’t stay there, or in the tomb either, for very long.  Part of the plan to communicate His love, and to translate Heaven to us.

 And as if that’s not enough…

 “…but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Interpreting my past, understanding my present, and discerning my future takes wisdom that is beyond myself. 

Which means I need to hear (and speak) fluent Heaven.

Proverbs 14:6; Hebrews 1:3; John 14:9; Romans 12:2 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.