All is possible for him who believes...
Although I need to be writing an essay that's due tomorrow (that I haven't started), I just need to chat about the past week (or so) because something pretty significant has happened and I'm pretty excited about it. Within the past week, I've actually started to feel like a real person again. I am so happy!!!! A real person who is capable of understanding, speaking, and carrying on a conversation. I know you're thinking I'm crazy but you actually start to feel like a toddler when you're immersed in a new language. People talk to you something like this "Hey...my...name...is....Peter. Today...is...Monday. M-o-n-d-a-y." and I love examples like this..."The suuunnnn....the moooooon", and they point to objects as if I'm supposed to be utterly amazed like I've seen the sun and the moon for the first time in my life.
Another example: when you don't understand something the first time and then they (those that know) resort to attempt to pronounce the word in English. This is just disastrous. My brain doesn't switch from Spanish to English then back to Spanish.
But please don't misinterpret me. I'm beyond grateful for all the help I can get, but at the same time there's a point where this starts to get frustrating and you just want to grow up and be a big girl. haha I have to admit that there have been plenty of times during conversations where I've needed the person to speak more slowly and clearly than they normally would, but it's different with simple words like sun, moon, my name is...
This has to be the best feeling ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER! I feel like everything has just CLICKED. It no longer drains every ounce of my energy to have a conversation or to listen. I can have a conversation so easily now and say pretty much anything I want to. Wow, I thought this moment would NEVER come. I'm speechless about this feeling. I'm so, so very thankful unto God because this has been my prayer since before I arrived.
So I've been studying the life of David for a while now, but I'm 2 chapters away from being finished! :) Can I just say that I feel like I can relate to David? To me, the spanish language has felt like one big Goliath. One big 9 ft tall giant. Spanish is something that I've always looked to with fear and thought "that's impossible" or "that will surely be the death of me". But don't you love David's response to that 9 ft tall giant? He definitely had a different perspective than I did. He completely trusted the Lord, and knew that he wouldn't fight Goliath alone. Instead of looking at the giant from his perspective, he chose God's perspective, and through his courage and his faith in God he was able to defeat Goliath.
I love 1 Samuel 17:48 "As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him"
David didn't have any fear. He RAN QUICKLY toward the giant! At first glance this seems CRAZY! but it's exactly how the Lord wants us to react when faced with "giants".
And just as God delivered David from the hand of his enemy, today I feel as though the Lord has delivered me from my "enemy".
Today I read one of David's songs that he wrote after the Lord delivered him from his enemies in 2 Samuel 22:33-37:
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn"
Just as David wrote, I believe that it is only by the strength and help of the Lord that I have been able to reach this level of Spanish. Although I am not fluent, and therefore have not completely defeated this giant standing before me, I'm going to continue to trust in the Lord, and run towards the battle line for victory!
"The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!" 2 Samuel 22:47
What giant are you facing? Hand your battle over to the Lord. I'll guarantee his weapons and battle schemes are more deadly than yours ;)
Posted in: on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at at 9:38 PM
