I attended my first Russian play the other night, spoken entirely in Russian, at the main theater in Tiraspool, Transnistria. Our team was invited by one of the actors, Julia, who is also a part of one of the churches that we are partnering with here. She thought that we would enjoy the experience and wanted some of her fellow actors, many of whom are also studying English, to meet us.
We had a great time attending the play. We were treated as honored guests and they even had to hold the play for 10 minutes because we arrived late! The main part of the play was a comedy, so we laughed A LOT, but ultimately I walked out of that theater having realized a larger truth from the experience . . . that, as usual, my mama was RIGHT!
The experience of attending this Russian play had served as a practical example of what my mama always taught me . . . More important than WHAT you say is HOW you say it, and even more so your ACTIONS speak louder than your words.
In case you did not know, I only speak/understand about 5 words in the Russian language, so my understanding of the play was NOT based on my grasp of the language. However, as we watched the play, Sarah, Jenna, and I would whisper to each other what we thought was happening in the play and we would laugh whenever we thought that we “got the joke.” Imagine our surprise, as we talked with a group of the actors after the show, to discover that for much of the storyline . . . we had gotten it right, or at least very close. One of the actors asked us what we thought of their acting and my response was that they had portrayed the story quite well because I had gotten the message despite the language barrier.
As I thought about this later, I realized how true this concept is . . .not only in the play, but in daily life. Just as the tone of the actors in the play portrayed their intended message of sarcasm, despair, & happiness, so does the WAY that we speak to others portray the sincerity and intent of our hearts. Just as the body language and movements of the actors helped to “tell” the storyline in the play, so do our ACTIONS reveal the motivations and intent of our hearts to others. Thus, my mama was right yet again!
This realization made me chuckle at first, partly because I could hear my mama’s voice in my head saying, “Isn’t that what I always told you?” Then it made me stop and take a hard look at myself and ask a few hard questions. When I speak, what do others really hear me saying? When others view the actions of my life, even those that I may not think are looking, what do they really see?
I desire to portray a spirit and a heart of LOVE . . . Love for God, Love for others, and Love for this world. I was reminded through this that I need to guard my tongue and my actions daily to ensure that the image of my heart that others “see” is LOVE as I intend. I do continue to enjoy how God uses even the smallest of experiences, like my first Russian play, to remind me of such important lessons . . . even ones that my mama already taught me!
