Complete immersion is the only way
I was told that one could judge the mastery of a second language when you begin to dream in the new tongue. So when I was in college and began to dream in Spanish, I was excited and figured fluency was just around the corner. I majored in Spanish I really liked the culture and I was going to "make a difference" helping others with a language barrier. I completed my degree and worked as a bilingual teacher for a while before my son was born but since then have not returned to teaching, subsequently losing most of "la lingua". You see, if you don't use it you lose it.
Recently our family had the pleasure of hosting a family from Great Britain. Our friends spent the better part of three weeks with us as we toured local and more distant sites. The thing about "The Brits" as we called them is that they spoke a different language. Yes, they spoke English and that IS my native tongue BUT they used different words. I found myself using a new vocabulary. It was exciting. I actually felt smarter. I never adopted an accent but my trashcan became "the bin", the trunk of my car is "the boot" and I tell my kids to "mind" the uneven sidewalk so they don't fall.
I mention this because I would like to point out that what you surround yourself with will become familiar to you and hence, part of your "vocabulary".
I had dream not that long ago that I was sharing Christ with someone else. I spoke the Gospel very clearly with a fluency quite comparable to acquiring a foreign language. I immediately thought of my dreams in Spanish and the phenomenon of the dream/fluency connection. I can remember that at that particular time in my life I was spending a great deal of time in the Word. I renewed my mind daily and tried be aware of God working all around me, joining Him as I felt He desired. It seemed that God's Word became my new language and that I was becoming better versed in my new "Gospel vocabulary". His Word flowed right off my tongue and through my life with fluency I hadn't really known before. It was oh so good.
Then, something happened not long after that. Maybe it was my overconfidence in my new found ability. Maybe it was a revival of old distractions that did it. Whatever the cause, I started to lose my new language much the same way I had "lost" my Spanish. It seemed that misuse and un-use began to corrupt my life in a way that caused a clog in the lines of communication that I had with the Spirit. It was subtle but oh so insidious and very sinful.
It's pretty clear that "Garbage in = Garbage out". Shamefully I admit that I need to repent of this and seek healing and restoration from the damage that this trip through "The World" has caused.
The best part about being fluent in a foreign language is that once you are re-exposed to it following a period of dormancy is that it all comes flooding back and the joy found in being able to communicate with others in this language spurs a desire to pursue a deeper understanding of it. I believe it is this way with the language of the Spirit too. I pray that this is true.
Immersion is the very best way to learn a language. Just throw someone into a new culture and a new language and watch how fast you start to learn what you need to know to make it and thrive and grow. Immersion only works though, when you can't revert back to your original language as crutch. You have to be dunked, basically, abandoned in the new life and then you have no choice but to remain focused and natural whole language acquisition happens as a result.
I guess I want to be dunked. How about a one way ticket with no return?
Dunk me Lord, I pray. Then, Lord, hedge me in with a very tall fence so that the distractions of the world can't be seen from the place where I am with You. Let me have eyes and ears and spirit only for You and discernment that will alert me to potential disruptions in our fellowship. I want to be abandoned in Your presence for the purpose of knowing You so well that I dream Your dreams. I pray that You will again allow me the opportunity of another try at this and I pray that upon returning to Your presence I might be filled with the hunger for deeper fellowship. I can only imagine what You have in store for anyone who desires this. This is what I want. ~ AMEN
Recently our family had the pleasure of hosting a family from Great Britain. Our friends spent the better part of three weeks with us as we toured local and more distant sites. The thing about "The Brits" as we called them is that they spoke a different language. Yes, they spoke English and that IS my native tongue BUT they used different words. I found myself using a new vocabulary. It was exciting. I actually felt smarter. I never adopted an accent but my trashcan became "the bin", the trunk of my car is "the boot" and I tell my kids to "mind" the uneven sidewalk so they don't fall.
I mention this because I would like to point out that what you surround yourself with will become familiar to you and hence, part of your "vocabulary".
I had dream not that long ago that I was sharing Christ with someone else. I spoke the Gospel very clearly with a fluency quite comparable to acquiring a foreign language. I immediately thought of my dreams in Spanish and the phenomenon of the dream/fluency connection. I can remember that at that particular time in my life I was spending a great deal of time in the Word. I renewed my mind daily and tried be aware of God working all around me, joining Him as I felt He desired. It seemed that God's Word became my new language and that I was becoming better versed in my new "Gospel vocabulary". His Word flowed right off my tongue and through my life with fluency I hadn't really known before. It was oh so good.
Then, something happened not long after that. Maybe it was my overconfidence in my new found ability. Maybe it was a revival of old distractions that did it. Whatever the cause, I started to lose my new language much the same way I had "lost" my Spanish. It seemed that misuse and un-use began to corrupt my life in a way that caused a clog in the lines of communication that I had with the Spirit. It was subtle but oh so insidious and very sinful.
It's pretty clear that "Garbage in = Garbage out". Shamefully I admit that I need to repent of this and seek healing and restoration from the damage that this trip through "The World" has caused.
The best part about being fluent in a foreign language is that once you are re-exposed to it following a period of dormancy is that it all comes flooding back and the joy found in being able to communicate with others in this language spurs a desire to pursue a deeper understanding of it. I believe it is this way with the language of the Spirit too. I pray that this is true.
Immersion is the very best way to learn a language. Just throw someone into a new culture and a new language and watch how fast you start to learn what you need to know to make it and thrive and grow. Immersion only works though, when you can't revert back to your original language as crutch. You have to be dunked, basically, abandoned in the new life and then you have no choice but to remain focused and natural whole language acquisition happens as a result.
I guess I want to be dunked. How about a one way ticket with no return?
Dunk me Lord, I pray. Then, Lord, hedge me in with a very tall fence so that the distractions of the world can't be seen from the place where I am with You. Let me have eyes and ears and spirit only for You and discernment that will alert me to potential disruptions in our fellowship. I want to be abandoned in Your presence for the purpose of knowing You so well that I dream Your dreams. I pray that You will again allow me the opportunity of another try at this and I pray that upon returning to Your presence I might be filled with the hunger for deeper fellowship. I can only imagine what You have in store for anyone who desires this. This is what I want. ~ AMEN
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