Language

This is probably my fifth attempt to learn Spanish. While an immersion experience, family, and frequent Rome trips help my Italian proficiency, I’ve struggled to really find the discipline and the time to devote to a language that’s much more important to my ministry and my day-to-day life.

As I renewed my expired Babbel subscription…again, I lamented to a friend about my lack of traction. She invited me to think about my experience with Italian and when learning that language “clicked” for me. As soon as she made this suggestion, I was brought back to a distinct moment when I told my relatives a funny story in Italian and they thought it was funny too. It wasn’t that I knew all the right vocabulary— and I have no doubt that my grammar was a mess—but I knew the story, it meant something to me, and I used the words I had to explain what it meant to me.

Now, as I listened to my language learning app and tried to understand what “Isa” was explaining to her new office friend, “Miguel,” I couldn’t help but think about all the times in life, leadership, and discipleship where I might be providing all the vocabulary, outlining all the grammar, and even recording my message, but comprehension to the receiver isn’t taking root. As a leader, am I making the space and time for people to share it back in their own words? Like my Italian relatives, am I patient and do I listen to make a connection, or am I caught up in not hearing how I would say it?

As Catholics, we often struggle to share our faith with those closest to us, let alone strangers. Is it because we don’t know the story or because we are afraid we will tell it the wrong way?

No offense to Isa and Miguel, but I think if I am serious about learning Spanish, I’m going to need to immerse myself in real relationships where I not only listen or read but share my own story—however imperfectly—so that I can continue to grow.

Prayers for wherever you might feel like you’re babbling this week.