The more time you spend with me, the easier my speech is to understand. When I am with people who haven’t seen me in awhile, I notice they have to get acclimated to my ‘accent’ again. (Personally, I get a kick out of watching the facial expressions of people who do not know me when I talk to friends who are so use to my talking, they get everything I say… I know the ‘newbies’ must think, “how is he understanding Shelly? Is it me? Is my hearing declining?”).
Yesterday I met with some friends whom I hadn’t seen in months. The middle schooler doesn’t rely on verbal communication, so he started finger spelling (sign language) to tell me what he is doing at school. I’ve known finger spelling since high school but hadn’t used it in months. My aging brain had to not only shift gears, but had to find the right gear. Since his mother and sister obviously were use to communicating with him and knew what he was doing in school, they picked up on what he was saying long before I did. They had a background in which to fit his words.
Similarly, a friend (who understands my speech 90% of the time) moved into a new residence this week. I called her to see how she was settling in. I had to repeat my greeting three times because she couldn’t plug in what I was saying… something I (normally) would never say, “Hi, Homegirl!”
These incidents reminded me of my relationship with Jesus. Before I studied my Bible and intentionally spent time alone with Him, I had trouble hearing what he was saying to me. The more I get to know Him through Scripture, the easier it is to understand him. You could never convince me God wanted you to cheat on your taxes or have an extramarital affair. Likewise, the enemy cannot convince me Jesus’ love for me depends on my actions. I know (Him) better than that. Studying the Bible has taught me about Jesus’ character. As John 8:47 says,
those who belong to God hear him.
John 8:47 - He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."