Midweek Moment

Communication is paramount in any relationship. If you cannot communicate with the people around you, it is very hard to co-exist with one another. Right now, my family is experiencing that dynamic. I have this little Cantonese speaking boy in my house and he does not speak a word of English. We were told it would take six months to a year before he began to speak English, so this is not unexpected. But what has caught us by surprise is how well he understands. Davis, while he may not speak English, absolutely understands everything we say, and what is not real clear we can clear up through a brief game of charades. He is learning so fast!

This has given me the chance to see how communication is so much more than words. Through pointing, gesturing, facial expressions, tone of voice, and even grabbing a hand and leading someone to a desired destination, we can communicate.

Have you ever thought about how God feels about the way we communicate? These past several weeks I have. Sometimes what I want to communicate to God is beyond words. The feelings are too deep, the meaning too complex for words to be adequate. There are times I would love to grab God by the hand and lead him where I want him to go. To have the opportunity for him to look me in the eye and see the expression on my face as I work to explain to my Creator all that I am feeling. There are other times where I have so much to say to God, I get overwhelmed and I say nothing at all.

That is why I am so humbled to serve our God. God does not need our words, just our hearts. There are times when my prayers do not consist of a single word, just emotion, just bearing my soul before God and letting him look inside. Scripture tells us in Romans 8:26, “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.” Using our emotions and our groans, God understands. Our communication with God is not dependent on the right words, proper words, or even words at all.

Communication is vital for our relationships to grow. But communication is more than words. Communication can be a wink of the eye, a smile on our face, or a hand on the shoulder. My encouragement for you is to remember that and look for ways to communicate your love and concern for God and for one another through varied forms of communication. Because, sometimes words just aren’t enough.

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!