What Language Do You Speak?

I don’t know about you, but when I’m alone in the car, I talk out loud… I talk to the Lord, I talk to the other drivers, I talk to myself, and I talk to the radio!

It’s possible that I looked a little cray-cray when I heard this song on the radio the other day! The beat grabbed my attention, but the lyrics…. Oh my! The lyrics resounded loud in my spirit and I couldn’t help pumping my fist in agreement!

Native Tongue by Switchfoot is a powerful statement about who we are and Who we came from! If we marry these two verses, you’ll see what I mean:

God is Love + God created mankind [us] in His image (I John 4:8, Genesis 1:27)

We were created to look like our Dad! He is love, He speaks love, He functions in love! Love is our native language! Take a listen: Native Tongue

We are born with the capacity to function in love and demonstrate love, but too often we are taught to function out of self-preservation, pain, and judgment. It’s time to go back to our native tongue!

Back before we learned the words to start a fight
Back before they told us that the haters were right
He spoke the truth, “let there be” and there was
Love is the language, love is your native tongue

My heart is a beating drum
My head in oblivion
My soul, such a long way from
My lips, my lungs, my native tongue

My friend, where did we go wrong?
My Lord, we forgot our sound
My soul, such a long way from
My lips, my lungs, my native tongue

So sing it loud, get loud, get
Louder than the voices in the crowd, yeah
Even when they tried to drown you out, eh
Your lips, your lungs, your native tongue

So sing it out, get loud, get
Louder than the darkness and the doubts, eh
Louder than the curses and the shouts, yeah
Your lips, your lungs, your native tongue

Songwriters: Brent Kutzle / Jonathan Mark Foreman / Timothy David Foreman
NATIVE TONGUE lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing

What a challenge! Lord, Take us back to the Place where we were created from: Your heart! Teach us to communicate like You! Help us to function as You created us to, out of love, instead of pain, judgement, or pride! Help us to “get louder than the voices in the crowd!”

Live Loved! And you will impact those around you with love!

P.S. If this blessed you or encouraged you, please share on social media! Drop me a comment too! 🙂

A Fair Trade?

I love this promise and needed to hear it today.  I crave His guidance and need His healing strength!  I know that God is faithful and He will give me everything that I need. 

But… if I focus on my needs, I will miss His heart in the process!

To fully enjoy the promise of His presence and provision, we need to embrace His heart, His passions! So, what is God’s heart passionate about? Look closer at Isaiah 58:6-12. God talks to us about what brings Him delight, and as a princess daughter, I want to please my Father!  So, what brings Him delight? When we:

  • Correct injustices
  • Enable others to find freedom
  • Help those less fortunate
  • Are present/engaged with our family
  • Lighten the burdens of others
  • Are a source of grace and peace

As we are purposeful to invest in others, we bring light to the dark places!  Our world is filled with darkness, and Jesus told us that we are the light!1  But our light doesn’t shine just because we show up… it shines because we show Jesus when we show up!

When we bless others, He will bless us!  Isaiah continues in verse 9 saying, “Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ He will quickly reply.”  Not only that, but He will come to our rescue, heal us, protect us, restore us, strengthen us, and lead us forward!  Wow, those are some serious benefits! 

Is it a fair trade? No way! It’s far more than we deserve!  Jesus summed up this trade when He said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”2

That’s a trade worth investing in! Light up someone’s darkness today!

This world needs you!

Live Loved,

1Matthew 5:14

2Matthew 6:33 NLT

Read more about injustice here: Food for Thought