A Mysterious Fluency
AM Psalm 37:1-18 • PM Psalm 37:19-42
Gen. 11:1-9 • Heb. 6:13-20 • John 4:1-15
In this week’s reading from Genesis, we revisit the story of the Tower of Babel. You likely remember the details: harmony is disrupted—completely destroyed—when a common language is lost. I realize that the passage refers to an experience in which G_d made it so that folks ceased to understand each other in conversation and “the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth,” (Genesis 11:4) but there is an obvious metaphor here, too.
Language is so magical. Flexible, varied, ripe for interpretation and nuance, words comprise the fabric of our understanding of one another. Of course, it is sometimes used to obscure meaning and cause harm, too. It is a tool. It is a weapon.
I am likewise fascinated by the way we make language of our facial expressions, the gestures of our hands, and the way we hold our bodies. Some of this we control and employ in attempt to clarify our message, and some nonverbal communication is involuntary—a mysterious fluency that “speaks” on our behalf.
Back to that metaphor. Think of a person or situation in your life that has caused frustration, pain, or a lack of harmony because you just don’t “speak the same language.” Perhaps it is a colleague or a member of your family. A friend or former friend. At someone point, you realized that no matter what you tried, you just didn’t understand them, or they didn’t, or couldn’t, or wouldn’t meet you where you are, and your relationship became strained. Perhaps this caused you to move on to new territory and start over without them.
I have to believe that for every misunderstanding, there is a possibility for resolution. In some of these painful situations, the most healing expression we can offer is a language most (myself included) find difficult to master: silence.
I’d like for you to think, before we end this shared time of reflection, of a person with whom you’ve suffered a ruptured relationship. How does it feel to hold them in silence? Could you meet on the road between your new territories and share new stories, a new language?
Written by Jane V. Blunschi
Originally from Louisiana, Jane lives, writes, and teaches in Fayetteville, Arkansas.