Jean Coleman's Blog - Posts Tagged "india"
THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE
Several years ago we spent seven weeks in India and I was often frustrated by my inability to communicate with others while we were there. One afternoon we were informed by a pastor that he would like us to visit a young couple in the church whose only child, a boy of fourteen months, had died the previous day. One day the youngster had been healthy and happy and then overnight he had developed dysentery. Four days later, he was gone. They had buried their child that morning.
I wondered how I could possibly comfort this grieving family, especially when I learned that no interpreter would be going to the house with us. No one there could speak a word of English and we certainly couldn't communicate with them in Telugu. The language barrier loomed up before me like a formidable wall. How do you scale the heights of heartbreak when there are no words to provide a foothold?
The child's parents lived in a tiny hut with a thatched roof and a dirt floor, but as I stood in the doorway of that simple dwelling, I sensed the presence of God filling the place. The Lord certainly understood the pain of losing a son for He had also watched as His only begotten Son died on Calvary. And now He longed to comfort this young couple through us and to assure them of His eternal love.
As the child's mother began to walk across the room toward me, her anguish and pain was evident. Never have I felt so totally inadequate. What did I have to give this grieving woman? I couldn't even speak one word to convey my sympathy. And then the Lord spoke into my heart, "You can speak to her in the language of love, a language that requires no words."
As the young woman moved toward me, I opened my arms wide and received her into them. I embraced her as a mother would embrace a wounded child and desperately she clung to me. No words were necessary. We were communicating at a level that words could never hope to achieve. As her tears flowed, mine intermingled with them.
What a blessing to speak the language of love. My tears told her that I cared deeply. My arms imparted to her comfort and peace. My lips against her cheek showed love and compassion. I sensed her tense body relaxing as I held her close. She was not wrapped in the arms of a stranger, but rather enfolded in the arms of God. The Lord had used my arms to envelop her in His.
The language of love is the language of the spirit. It can be spoken through a smile, an embrace or a tear. It is uttered through a friendly arm draped around a shoulder or through a hand reaching out to grasp the wrinkled hand of an elderly widow. A wave across a crowded room can convey to a rejected person that she is accepted, not only by you but also in the Beloved. And the wonderful thing is that the language of love can be spoken anywhere in the world and the Holy Spirit Himself will be your interpreter.
Reach out today to someone who is hurting. Don't be concerned about what words to say. Just speak the language of love.
I wondered how I could possibly comfort this grieving family, especially when I learned that no interpreter would be going to the house with us. No one there could speak a word of English and we certainly couldn't communicate with them in Telugu. The language barrier loomed up before me like a formidable wall. How do you scale the heights of heartbreak when there are no words to provide a foothold?
The child's parents lived in a tiny hut with a thatched roof and a dirt floor, but as I stood in the doorway of that simple dwelling, I sensed the presence of God filling the place. The Lord certainly understood the pain of losing a son for He had also watched as His only begotten Son died on Calvary. And now He longed to comfort this young couple through us and to assure them of His eternal love.
As the child's mother began to walk across the room toward me, her anguish and pain was evident. Never have I felt so totally inadequate. What did I have to give this grieving woman? I couldn't even speak one word to convey my sympathy. And then the Lord spoke into my heart, "You can speak to her in the language of love, a language that requires no words."
As the young woman moved toward me, I opened my arms wide and received her into them. I embraced her as a mother would embrace a wounded child and desperately she clung to me. No words were necessary. We were communicating at a level that words could never hope to achieve. As her tears flowed, mine intermingled with them.
What a blessing to speak the language of love. My tears told her that I cared deeply. My arms imparted to her comfort and peace. My lips against her cheek showed love and compassion. I sensed her tense body relaxing as I held her close. She was not wrapped in the arms of a stranger, but rather enfolded in the arms of God. The Lord had used my arms to envelop her in His.
The language of love is the language of the spirit. It can be spoken through a smile, an embrace or a tear. It is uttered through a friendly arm draped around a shoulder or through a hand reaching out to grasp the wrinkled hand of an elderly widow. A wave across a crowded room can convey to a rejected person that she is accepted, not only by you but also in the Beloved. And the wonderful thing is that the language of love can be spoken anywhere in the world and the Holy Spirit Himself will be your interpreter.
Reach out today to someone who is hurting. Don't be concerned about what words to say. Just speak the language of love.
