Looking Up

Alzaré mis ojos a los montes; ¿De dónde vendrá mi socorro?

Mi socorro viene de Jehová, Que hizo los cielos y la tierra. Salmo 121:1

I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1

As Stuart and I trekked back from the store today, I thought about this verse. Psalm 121 has been on my mind all week because I have been trying to memorize it in Spanish for Phonetics class. Truth be told though, I've been more concerned about the sounds, the blends, and the phonics of the text than its meaning, until today. 

Costa Rica surrounds us with hills and mountains; so when I looked up to the mountains on our way back from our milk and bread run, I started to contemplate the meaning of the verse instead of just the phonetics. 

I have a love for learning and for the last two years, I've been pursuing a graduate degree in Biblical and Theological Studies. Although, I enjoy learning it is a demanding and challenging endeavor. Nevertheless, the rewards of deeper understanding and appreciation of God and his Word are worth it.

So where does language-learning fit into my paradigm? Well, it too gives me a deeper appreciation of God and his Word for in fact, God created all languages. The diversity of language was a part of his great plan to disperse the nations and fill the earth. In heaven, people from every nation, tribe, people and language will be present. God loves diversity and the diversity of language was his idea.

Learning a language is a rewarding experience. For one thing, it helps me to understand another’s culture, how they think, and the unique way in which they communicate their ideas.  Certainly as a missionary, learning a new language will help me to communicate God’s Word, but it also helps me to understand how the native speaker understands God. For example, it is illuminating to hear and observe the vocabulary the native speaker uses in prayer or preaching.

Although, learning a new language is a rewarding experience it is also a taxing endeavor. It is more than just me learning to speak in a new way, it is me learning to think, understand, and communicate in a completely different way. Without a doubt, I appreciate the privilege and opportunity I have to learn another language; nevertheless, it is a humbling and demanding experience. 

So the next time I get frustrated over a new verb tense or I just can’t seem to pronounce that vowel sound consistently, I will remind myself to lift up my eyes to the mountains from where my help comes from; because my help comes from the Lord who made the heavens, the earth, and every language that fills it. 

Giving Up

“What are you giving up?” I heard that phrase every year as a child growing up in New England, in anticipation of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. On the Christian church calendar, Lent is the observance of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, in preparation for his earthly ministry. During this time, Christians choose to give up or fast something to identify with Jesus’ humility and suffering. As a child, I may not have understood all the nuances of Lent, but the practice has remained with me all these years.

Although a Christian can fast at any time, Lent is the seasonal occasion when we as the Body of Christ fast together to prepare for the holiest day on the Christian calendar. Fasting is the act of refraining from a particular food or activity to feast on the Lord. There are many forms fasting can take; the Daniel fast (no meat), the dessert fast (no sweets), or the TV fast (no trash). Most fasts are deliberate and intentional but some are not.

Although, we enjoy trying different foods and recipes in the countries where we serve, sometimes you just crave certain American foods that simply may not be available. When we lived in Jamaica we could not find brown sugar. Jamaica has raw sugar (which they call brown sugar) but they do not have the kind you need to make chocolate chip cookies. We had been in Jamaica for over a year before I was able to make apple crisp and I had forgotten how good that simple dessert was until I was able to finally take that first bite. Fasting helped me to appreciate the gift of brown sugar.

Lest you think giving up something for Lent is like making a New Year’s resolution; it is not. Most resolutions take the form of giving up something for good for the purpose of self-improvement but fasting is giving up something for a time for soul-improvement. Through this period of self-denial, we learn to identify with the Lord and appreciate his provision.

So, what are you giving up for Lent? Whatever it may be, or whatever form your fast may take allow me to pose a challenge: as you are giving up for God, pray for souls around the world to give in to him.