Eli is now a little over 2 and a half years old and it is truly incredible how much our lil man can understand. There are moments when Lindsey and I will just look at him and go how in the world did he know that. Some of the comments he makes to us blow us away. I promise you that he may even have more of a sense of direction than I do and he has no problem telling me I am driving the wrong way to Pappy’s house. Crazy right? There are moments where you feel like you are having conversations with another adult. Last night we were in the kitchen and he heard a noise outside that scared our 7 month old Silas, and Eli just looked at him and said, “It’s okay Silas, it’s just a motorcycle and it is being loud.” We all just started to laugh and couldn’t help but wonder, “Wait how old are you again?”
Then moments like last week happen where you ask him to do something or tell him something and he just gives you this black glare while tilting his head sideways. We were at the races and he just kept fighting the idea of wearing headsets. You try explain to your kid about ear protection and hearing later in life. Another moment was when he got the stomach bug and trying to explain to him he would be okay and why we were putting a bucket beside his bed. Another fun conversation to try and explain. “Throw Up? Vomit? Belly Hurt?” It is hard at times to realize that there are still certain things we might say that he doesn’t get and isn’t able to comprehend. There are still certain words that he just hasn’t caught on to what they mean yet. Words we might take for granted or just expect him to know and understand.
I felt this way while working on the new house. We have old wiring in it so it needs replaced. While working on it my dad, my brother, and my father in law have been helping me. Well they all know electrical work and the lingo of it. (I never knew that wiring has it’s own language). So here we are working away running new lines and they would look at me and be like, “yeah we need the 12-2 there and the 10-3 here and the 14-2 running that way.” Sure ok Trav whatever you say as I’m looking going “what the heck does that mean?” Then Bob (Lindsey’s dad) starts chiming in about the size box we have, the different fuses that he is using, and where all the different wires go to. To me it looks like a jumbled up rat’s nest with no making sense of it. But to be honest, of course as a guy, I didn’t want to say I didn’t know what they were saying. The reality was though I had no clue and just went along with it.
How many times in church are we the same way though? Just expecting others to know what we are talking abut because it is the church lingo or what we have been accustomed to. How many times do we throw out words or statements that we just assume everyone else knows? “Are you saved?” What the heck does that mean? “What denomination are you?” De-Nom-A-Watt. “What are your views on the end times?” End times, like when service ends? “What Bible do you read?” There is more than one? “What do you mean you don’t know who Chris Tomlin is or that you are to stand when worship plays and to sit when the pastor speaks?”
See what I am getting at here. Within the church we have created our own culture and lingo. I love the description given about the book of Luke. “Luke set out to write a Gospel that was understandable to those outside the Jewish faith and culture.” Maybe we need to get back to that attitude and understand that many people grow up outside the church culture. That maybe the person you are trying to share with doesnt know the lingo or your Old Testament stories you keep referencing. Maybe they don’t understand the word “sin” you keep talking about it. Think abut this in correlation with Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians.
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all means I might save some.”
-1 Corinthians 9:22
So whether you are talking to a 2 year old, a 50 year old, or just your neighbor down the street, think about the lingo you are using when they start giving you the blank stare and you can’t figure out why. Maybe what you are trying to say to them is a foreign language. Learn to speak in a way they understand. Don’t take for granted that what might seem like basic knowledge to you is a stumbling block for others. Learn to speak to all people. If you don’t know what to say, ask for the Spirit’s guidance, and let Him show you the words just like he did at Pentecost. (Another reference that other’s might not have a clue about that we might just assume they should know)