The Process of Becoming Another “Thing”

Spain is beautiful and I am literally having the time of my life throughout my time here. Meeting new people from WVU, making friends from all over the world, and experiencing a new city makes for a pretty magical experience to be honest. However, the major purpose for me coming here is (obviously) to learn Spanish. Why, you ask? Well, I am going to take this post to share with you some of my reasoning behind this desire I possess.

I’ll start with listing some reasons from other people that I’ve asked:

“My extended family speaks Spanish and I want to be able to communicate with them.”

“It’s a requirement for my major to take language classes.”

“Spanish is an easy A.”

“I want to be a translator at a hospital/airline/embassy.”

and my all time favorite…

“It would sound so cool if I could speak another language!”

Okay, so there isn’t always concrete motivation behind some people’s desires to learn another language, and although I do think it would “sound cool” to speak in another language, my motivation runs deeper than that. Superficially, here are some reasons why I want to learn Spanish:

I love studying the Spanish language and the cultures that come with it. 

When I am a nurse, I want to translate for my future patients who don’t speak English.

Spanish opens up more opportunities to travel, meet people, get jobs, etc.

I want to teach my husband and future children how to speak Spanish to open up more opportunities for them as well.

These are a few reasons that motivate my studies, and are genuinely planted by a deep, God-given desire to expand myself. However, I would like to take the time to dive into the #1 reason as to why I am learning the Spanish language:

Knowing Spanish will allow me to share the Gospel with an entirely new group of people in the World. 

So right now you might be thinking, “You don’t have to know someone’s language to share the Gospel with them!” to which I would say, you’re totally right! I truly believe that the Lord enables His Word to be disseminated and understood in its’ time by the people on this Earth, regardless of what language they speak. What I hope to say is that my motivation is similar to Paul’s motivation in 1 Corinthians 9. Check it out:

^“19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. ²⁰ To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings“

(with added emphasis)

I love this portion of verses, and I always have. It’s a critical theme in the Young Life ministry, as well as in the ministry of life. As Christians, it’s easy for us to stay within our “safety bubbles” as I like to refer to them. We have our solid community; where we are planted in order to be refreshed so that we are able to go out each day and serve the Lord better. These communities are 100% necessary, however, we must get out of the bubble, and go beyond our boarders of comfort.

Paul doesn’t mean that he changes his core identity to “fit in” with a crowd, or commits crimes to be “like” criminals. What he means is that he reaches outside of where he is comfortable, lives life with people and takes time to get to know them, what they like and don’t like, experiencing life’s ups and downs with them.

Why?

His sole purpose for “becoming all things” was because he wanted them to know Christ. To know the same freedom he has being saved by grace. He was almost acting in desperation; doing absolutely anything (without living outside the Law of God – v. 21) so that some, just some, might come to know the Lord through the time that he spent devoting himself to ministering to them.

I’ve always read this and thought,”How I can I do this? What ‘thing’ can I become so that I can better share the Gospel?” I have found the “thing” I can become, and that “thing” is a “thing” that speaks another language. Sure, it is totally possible (and truly amazing) to spread the Gospel through language barriers and watch the Lord work in amazing ways. For me, I wanted to dig deeper; to become more personal. I have been given the amazing gift of an ability to learn this language, and I choose to use that gift to (one day) become one who can share the Gospel in Spanish. How beautiful, how wonderful would it be to speak one’s native language while sharing with them the greatest love story of all time? How much more personal can it get?

I am someone who desires close relationships; who wants to be so near to someone that I am able to whisper in their ear that there is a mighty God who loves them dearly and desires to be in relationship with them. I want to learn Spanish because I want to whisper this truth to those who can’t speak English; to connect with them on the most foundational level of a common language.

So for now, and for as long as the Lord wills it, I am on this adventure to acquire another language that will open up opportunity for myself in my career and personal life, that will help me be a better advocate for my patients as a nurse, but most importantly, will enable me to speak truth to a massive group of people who have perhaps never had the opportunity to hear the saving power of grace extended to us by our Heavenly Father through the death of His son on the cross.

I am becoming like them on the most foundational level so that maybe, just maybe, some might be saved, and so that I can share in the blessings with them of a full life in Christ. 

I leave you with some thoughts as you go about your day…

What gifts have you been given that can better enable you to spread the Gospel? Are you using those gifts? If not, why? If so, how can you further improve your outreach to different groups of people? 

There is no better time than the present!

Life awaits, my friends! “Hoy va a ser un día genial!”

Cat

PS-if you are ever desiring to learn more about the things I write about, feel free to send me an email or shoot me a message, I’d love to take the time to share more with those who are interested. 🙂