Take off the training wheels

Do you remember when you first tried to ride a bike with no training wheels? I remember like it was yesterday. I remember when the training wheel first came off. I was balling. I was terrified I was going to fall off my bike and die. My father assured me he would hold on. He was stern. I had to do this. There was no backing out. This happened long before kids started wearing helmets and pads to learn how to ride a bike. Back in the good old days.

I was terrified as I started riding. My dad kept his word and held on… for about five seconds. As I was riding, I turned around and I had left him in the dust. I should have known. There was no way I was going to get him to run down the street. He lied but I was riding!

Speaking a new language is the same way. After being here a couple of weeks, I had some language. Enough to get a ride in a taxi and return home. While this may sound childish and it is, my address is: San Franciso de Dos Rios, 100 mts este iglesia catolica. 25 mts izquerda, casa aldo de izquerda color es café y crema. You don’t exactly put that into Google maps. There came a time when I needed to get a cab and give him my destination and then return home with my ridiculously long address. In order to speak Spanish sometimes you just have to... speak Spanish.

There are many similarities to our own spiritual walk. Probably what people have told me more than anything else relating to their personal walk with the Lord is that they don’t understand the Bible. Let me say two things before I give you the answer I give them. First, reading the Bible is important. God gave us creation, his Son, and a book. We need to look outside, believe in his Son, and read his book. Secondly, reading the Bible is not a substitute for knowing God. There are stronger believers with greater faith who cannot read and who don’t have the Bible in their language.

So back to my answer. How do you understand the Bible? You read it!

You read it fast, read it slow, read it early, and read it late. Read it in bed and at a desk. Read it so your life won’t be a mess.

Read it in sections and read them again. Just in case you don’t get it at first. You will get it once in it you’re immersed. 

Don’t be afraid of all of the pages, they have been there for ages! Let them become familiar to your fingers. Read them often to answer any question that lingers.

So by now my answer should be quite clear. If you can’t read just make sure you can hear. For in times past, one person would read and all would stand near.

Still today there are many who don’t read at all. Many of them live in the mountains and are not quite tall. They are the ones whom we will teach, so their people they will reach.

I hope you enjoyed Dr. Seuss inspired poem. Do not take your literacy for granted. God has given you a great gift. Would you pray for Katie and me as we embark on learning a new language?