“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” James 1:19

My host mom has a Spanish-English Bible, which I think is great. But the translation is definitely more old-fashioned than what I usually use.

If you know my personality, you know that I am often a better listener than talker. I’m slow to contribute to conversations, and it seems like when I do speak, my words come out jumbled.
In Spanish, this is ten times worse.
Especially at the beginning of my time here, I was often frustrated by my inability to express exactly what’s on my mind.  I forget words like cuchillo (knife), bolsillo (pocket), and silla (chair), and realized I never learned how to say “spill” or “hip.”
When it comes to Latin American poetry, though, my vocabulary is impressive. The words you learn in Spanish class (like dictatorship, military coup, and communism) don’t come up in daily conversation as much, however.
Oddly, I’ve come to appreciate the limits of my Spanish.  I’ve also come up with strategies to get around them.  But, you know what, listening is an important skill. James tells us to practice listening and practice being slow to speak.
I came to Chile not knowing anything about the culture.  Sure, I read up on some history, but I still have a ton to soak up.  Which is why I need to listen to people and hear their perspectives.  Luckily, Chileans are buenos para hablar– they’ll talk your ear off.

A candid taken at my weekly Bible Study/communidad.

On Wednesday, when that verse from James came up in Bible study, my Chilean hermanos took it as a challenge.  For me, I’m already living the challenge.  I’m thankful to God for the way He’s using this experience to make me better at listening and forcing me to be even slower to speak.  After all, that’s why we have 2 ears and 1 mouth.

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