Speaka da English?

 A monster-size banana split sits on the middle of the table between my husband and me. With metal spoons, we divide and conquer heaps of ice cream covered in hot fudge, lathered in whipped cream. Words aren’t necessary to communicate our pleasure.

At another table in the ice cream parlor, two men laugh as their nimble hands create words in the air; their visual conversation public to anyone in the room who knows sign language.

Reminds me of a Starbucks café in southern California where a community of the hearing impaired congregate on Friday nights. Varied in age and ethnicity, they drive from miles away for the opportunity to talk with each other, and know they’re not alone.

I understand the craving to communicate. On a recent trip to Italy, it was easy to imagine being at the ancient Tower of Babel.

“Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad….” (See Genesis 11:1-9)

Not only did I not understand Italian, a throng of international tourists around me spoke in their native tongues. I felt as helpless as a kindergarten kid looking for pictures to decipher business signs and menus. Even my infantile attempt to speak a few Italian words did little to bridge the communication gap.

So imagine how my ears perked up whenever I overheard someone speaking English. Even the broken English from a stranger’s lips seemed like a welcome mat in a foreign land.

I experience these same emotions when I meet other born again Christians particularly abroad. There’s an instant bond that defies explanation. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we speak the same language. Issues like culture, wealth, education, and occupation (that might otherwise divide us) shrink in light of who we are in Christ.

I’m grateful for the fellowship of the saints, the body of Christ throughout this world that reminds me ….

I’m a sojourner on Earth. My citizenship is in heaven. And I am not alone.

 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28).

Author: Karen Foster

I'd like to say I've changed, but after decades of living, I still have the same four passions. My relationship with Jesus, spending time with family, attending live theater, and writing devotions & first-person stories about a loving, faithful God who reveals Himself in our every day circumstances. View all posts by Karen Foster