Join us in welcoming one of our newest contributors, Alisha Carlson, to For The Family. Be encouraged to listen and let the God of peace speak to you right where you are today.~Pat and Ruth
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“God knows how to speak your language. What is he saying to your heart right now?”
How ironic that author and speaker Annie F. Downs posed this question to the 1,200 of us Jesus lovin’ ladies who gathered to celebrate Christmas together over tables of hors-d’oeuvres and desserts in anticipation of hearing her message.
Language. God knows how to speak MY language.
All three of my boys are in the dual-language program in their elementary school. The program requires a Kindergarten through 5th-grade commitment. The district wants to know that the families are “all in”. It’s not a half-hearted adventure, but an earnest desire for parents to allow their child, through Spanish immersion, to learn and become completely bilingual in just six years.
My husband and I, upon finding the dual-language application in our oldest child’s Kindergarten registration packet, were intrigued by this opportunity. We instantly agreed. Let’s do it. What a great opportunity for a child!
So our application went with hundreds of others into a district-wide “lottery” for each school. Six months later, we received a confirmation letter… Congratulations, your son will be enrolled in the Dual-Language Program in the fall.
We excitedly shared the news at a big family dinner a couple weeks later. The program, not offered in their town, baffled everyone.
“How does this work?”
“Will he be learning in Spanish and English for all subjects?”
But one question really astonished me. “Why would you do that to your child?”
Since submitting the program application, my husband and I discovered that if a person knows both English AND Spanish, they can communicate with 85% of the world’s population.
Why would I do this “to” my child?
We wanted to gift our son with an amazing opportunity to speak and know and understand the world beyond our suburb. Our hope was for him to not see any racial or ethnic or language separation like we had known in our small towns. But instead to see the Spanish first-language child in class with him, who lives with his family of five in a one-bedroom apartment, as the same. Our hearts wanted to help our child understand that language shouldn’t be a barrier to love and compassion and friendship.
Upon our second child entering the dual-language program, and after seeing our boys and family thrive in the program, the school has asked me for the last few years to come in and speak to the incoming class of Kindergarten parents.
I am often referred to as “the dual-language mom” and I take great pride in watching my boys embrace new cultures and a desire to see the world through learning to speak a different language.
Just recently, the “language theme” has popped up again as my mom’s Bible study group just completed a semester long study of Gary Chapman’s “The 5 Love Languages of Children.”
For three months, I have intently been studying my boys. What fills their love tanks? How do they desire to be loved? How can I better reach their hearts to love them, to lead them to Christ, to build their character?
I have been so busy honing in on understanding their languages that I have neglected my own.
“God knows how to speak your language. What is he saying to your heart right now?”
Annie F. Downs only said those two sentences once. What she said after that I’m not quite sure. Shhhhh, don’t tell her.
I suddenly became paralyzed. Paralyzed by the loud and clear answer that came, not from the speaker or my friend beside me. But because of the silent whisper in my soul.
“I am the God of Peace.”
God knows EXACTLY what we need. He knows that over the last year as I’ve been seeking treatment for anxiety, as I’ve been striving to be a better mom and to parent peacefully… that I’m still struggling.
Listen to this:
- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
- The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20
- For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. 1 Corinthians 14:33
- And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
God absolutely knew what I needed in that moment. As those scriptures rolled through my head, His peace washed over me.
Just as I yearn to know my children’s languages, to reach their hearts, our Heavenly Father desires the same from us. We are His precious children. There is nothing hidden from Him. He knows when you’re going to stumble. He sees the struggles you’re working through. He knows your love language. He knows the desires of your heart.
But are you letting Him speak to you today?
Blessings,
Alisha
Get more encouragement for moms on Alisha’s blog, Makeovers & Motherhood.
