By now you know that I love birthdays, I freak
out about Christmas and that my most favorite holiday ever is Easter. You knew
that right!?! I mean, I tell you guys almost everything and I am pretty sure
that each year, I remind you how much I love Easter.
There are just simply no words that can ever
fully describe my gratitude for the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. Only
emotions can begin to communicate how I feel about the greatest gift I’ve ever
received. Believe it or not, there are times when I am completely speechless.
One of those times is at Easter. But just because I can’t find the words,
doesn’t mean that I’m not saying much. Let me explain.
Have you ever watched a movie without sound? Or
maybe watched a movie in a language that is foreign to you? I love movies (but
you knew that already). Often times I find myself relaxing by watching one of
my favorite series on Netflix – Celia. Celia is the biographical story of Cuban
artist Celia Cruz. About 98% of the
dialogue in the series is in Spanish. Now, I am often mistaken for having
Spanish descent; but Gina has not taken and/or retained any Spanish since
senior year in Senora Abbott’s Spanish class at Laurel Highlands High School.
(Sorry Senora – Genoveva just didn’t apply what she learned.) But even though I
can’t understand most of the dialogue and I usually don’t use subtitles, I
completely know what is going on in the story.
How do I know whats going when I watch the show? Easy
- context clues. Culturally, most people of Spanish-speaking background use
much more than words to communicate. (I think this is true of a lot of other
cultures as well. I’m part Italian. Just sayin.) Body movements and physically
expressed emotions help me to understand what is happening in a given scene.
The setting of the scene – where the conversations occur – tell me a lot about
what is happening in the scene. Proximity or the space between two people or
the lack thereof when they are talking to each other that tells me a lot about
what is going on in a scene. Words have purpose. But words are not all that we
have to say how we feel.
Seth Godin, best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, recently
shared this in his blog. “If you watch a
well-directed film with the sound turned off, you'll get a lot out of it. It's
worth remembering that we lived in tribes for millennia, long before we learned
how to speak. Emotional connection is our default. We only added words and
symbolic logic much later. There are a few places where all that matters is the
words. “
After reading Seth’s blog post, I thought about his words for
some time. I considered the times when I find myself speechless or when
language is a barrier (like when I am speaking with friends from around the
world or watching Celia and 3% - another great non-English show on Netflix). I
also thought about my mild dyslexia and issues with comprehension. I thought
about how those barriers made reading and writing difficult. I thought about
how words on a page were just that, words on a page. I thought about when I was
younger and how reading was a chore and not a blessing. I thought about how I
didn’t want to read because I didn’t understand. I thought about how free I
feel now that I don’t only rely on words.
How much do you rely on words to communicate? To communicate
your joy? To communicate your pain? To communicate your disappointment? To
communicate your excitement? To communicate your gratitude? How much do you
rely on words? I have found that when I don’t have words, my actions and
observing others’ actions are all I need to communicate how I feel.
Two thousand years ago, Christ didn’t share many words as his
life came to an end. From the time he was taken into custody, set out before
the people by Pontius Pilate so that he may be pardoned, carried his cross to
where he would be crucified, and then as he hang on the cross, Jesus Christ
said very few words. Why? Because no words were needed. His actions spoke
louder than anything then and anything yet to come. His act of sacrifice has
said more to you than any conversation you’ve ever had, any book you’ve ever
read, any movie you’ve ever watched, and any sermon you’ve ever heard.
I am speechless. When I think of God sending his son to die for
me; when I think of who Jesus Christ is; when I think of the power of the Holy
Spirit, I can only tearfully say thank you.
Exercising my other senses and challenging myself to go deeper,
beyond the surface of words has helped me to be a better communicator. Talk is
cheap my friends. Actions always speak louder. What do your actions say about
who you are? Do your actions reflect your gratitude for the sacrifice made for
you? Jesus did a whole lot and didn’t say much. What is your life saying about
you?
Happy Easter my friends. Give thanks to Christ for his sacrifice.
Go deeper and use all of your senses and abilities to show gratitude today.
Read Luke 23:34 and 43; John 19:26-27; Matthew 27:46; John 19:28 and 30; and
Luke 23:46.