The Jig is up!

Unfortunately that day has come. My new good friend now knows me well enough to tell when I am faking the fact that I understand everything he is saying. Dangit! My sign language skills are improving although I have only been here three weeks so there are times when I still dont know exactly what is being said. In those times I like to look interested and nod my head as if I completely understand, which for the most part has been working quit well. I get to participate in conversations and add what I can. Since I have been spending a lot of time with Shawn* he now stops mid conversation and says to me. "You understand?" which of course then I nod and smile.

I usually understand concepts and mostly what is being said. He has also taken to responding with "ok then tell me what I just said." UGH! what a retched blessing to have made friends who know you well enough to challenge you. Shawn has not only taken to testing me he also makes sure to sign as fast as he can so that I am forced to pay close attention. After spending the day together my brain hurts. I am exhausted. I took ASl a year and a half ago and I have not had much interaction with deaf people until this recent move. Talk about immersion. Now 90 % of the people I know speak a completely different langauge then me.

Shawn will not let me skate through life here easily, he has even begun to watch when I am talking to other people so that he can stop me and make me confess when I don't know what is being said. Accountabilty is tough. Romans 14: 12&13 says "So then, each of us will be accountable to God. Let us therefore no longer pass judgement on one another, but resolve instead to never be a stumbling block or hindreance in one way or another." Shawn is not holding me accountable to himself. He is not passing judgement he is challenging me through the love of christ and making sure that he is not a stumbling block for my communication with my new friends. He is forcing me to be honest about when I have hit a stumbling block and when I need help. He leaves the judging to the Lord and instead puts his efforts toward helping me remove the hinderances rather than enjoying them.

Stumbling blocks may not always seem bad, they can manifest themselves in laziness. It is easier for me to nod and smile, I do not come home exhausted when I spend the day noding and smiling, although I do come home missing half of what is being said. I come home missing half of the ministery that was taking place in front of my face. Shawn is being a great friend and making sure that I learn to be fully involved in the life of my new church family.

peace.

*I will always change names on this blog to secure the privacy of the people I discuss.