Spanish NOW!

Over the last year I decided to finally buckle down and learn Spanish. I've been coordinating the hosting of free English classes at my church and most of our students are Spanish speakers. I admire their dedication to learn English and it inspired me to take a try at Spanish.

As I've been looking up YouTube videos and getting big books from the library I have found commonality in the words associated with learning a language: Spanish Now! Easy Spanish, Learn Spanish Fast! Yet, as I've studied I have not found learning Spanish to be "easy", "fast" or conversationally useful "now!" 

I began to contemplate these titles and wondered why don't people say, "I'm going to learn Spanish over the next ten years." It would be a much more reasonable expectation because learning a language, honestly, takes a lifetime. I'm a native English speaker and I'm still learning new words (usually from reading books. You know, those words no one uses in common speech!) 

Alright, now what does this have to do with anything? What about my walk with Christ? I say it's a lifelong journey, I'll never be perfect, etc. Yet, I still have wanted transformation to be easy, fast, and now! 

When I was a teen and young adult, I despised having my faults pointed out. While somewhere deep down I truly wanted to grow in the Lord, the exposure of my sinful habits, worry, fear, pride, self-pity, etc. was so embarrassing and uncomfortable I had a hard time learning. All I could see was a "mess".  I was often found saying things felt "messy". And all I wanted to do was quickly "clean up the mess." 

The other day my thirty-something-year-old sister and I were talking (laughing) about this as we went from not wanting to be exposed and "messy" to pleading with the Lord in prayer to show us the areas in our life where we are walking in sin.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

What changed? Humility. 

I have found that one of the hardest things my English students have to work through is being willing to try and use the English they know. It can be uncomfortable and embarrassing for them to speak words they don't feel confident are correct. 

It takes humility to learn. It takes humility to admit to others and most importantly to ourselves that we don't know everything and we don't have it all together like we may wish we did. Whether it's spiritual matters, sins that need to be confessed and dealt with or practical life skills that are new to us, when we learn through the lens of humility we find the joy in growth instead of the "mess." We are excited for true transformation even if it takes time to grow into 

A relationship with the Lord is a lifetime of learning and growing. It's not easy, it's not fast, but it does start now. It starts with humility. Humbling ourselves before the Lord and asking Him, "Grant me humility, teach me to be teachable, and help me to learn Your ways." 

I hope and plan to keep working on my Spanish, and maybe in ten years I'll be able to talk to someone about more than just blue windows or green cars! But until then I'll keep working on it word by word as I keep walking this journey with Christ moment by moment.

Dear Father, grant us humility, that we may be teachable, and able to receive instruction from You and from others. Your Word says, He who walks with wise men will be wise. Bring us into wise company, that we may learn from those You have taught before us. Help us to forgive ourselves for the mistakes we have made and to accept that this life with You is a journey, a continual process of transformation. 

In Jesus Christ' name, amen.