Communication looks differently when there is a language barrier. Having never taken Spanish, I’m learning to communicate with the people in Central America in more ways than through words. Its through the laughs and smiles of overcoming the language barrier that have begun to fuel relationships. Its through the eyes that a deeper connection is brought to life. Its through the facial expressions and vocal emphasis that the emotions are felt. I can’t speak Spanish, but I can pick up on the joy, the vitality, and the love that dwells in these people from the Holy Spirit.
Communication with someone who speaks another language is similar to communication with God. Before you have a relationship with God, it can feel like He is speaking another language. You can try as hard as you want to keep speaking your own language, but you aren’t going to understand Him until you learn to communicate with Him and build a relationship with Him.
One of the most important things I have learned on my walk with Christ is to have an actual relationship with Him. I’ve always thought of God as this distant overseer. When in reality, God wants to have an intimate relationship with each and every one of us. He doesn’t want to be distant, because He isn’t distant. The Holy Spirit dwells IN us, and it doesn’t get any closer than that.
But its not enough to just look with your eyes and hear with your ears. Standing to the side of the children playing and laughing and just watching and listening to them wouldn’t build a relationship with them. Its the interaction between you that builds the foundation. In the same way, you can try to only read His word, or go to church and just listen to the message, but until you take the leap to build the relationship with Him, it doesn’t mean anything.
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Matt 13: 16-17
Building a new relationships can be difficult. Imagine always inviting them for coffee or dinner, and they always decline. Imagine them only coming to you when they need money for gas or for you to watch their kids. Imagine them not being intentional with you or not even wanting to know anything about you. This is all true for your relationship with God. He wants more than to just hear your grocery list of requests or your thanks and occasional praise. He wants all of you. He wants you to yearn for Him. He wants you to ask Him what He thinks. He wants to know you and for you to know Him. He wants your firsts of everything. Including your first thoughts in the morning. He wants you to lean on Him, to thrive and to hunger for Him in all things. He wants a relationship. He wants you, and you are enough.
