365 Days and Counting

“Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.”

Ahhh…the good old days. None of us were there of course but there was a time when the whole world spoke one language. If you remember the story, you will remember that they wanted to make a name for themselves. They wanted to do something grand, something that would make them stand out.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

God was not pleased. They had left Him out of the picture. They were doing what was right in their own eyes.

And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Because of their drive for a name for themselves, the rest of us struggle to understand one another. God intentionally confused their language to keep them from doing whatever “they propose to do”. He knew that it would not be in their best interest to continue on the path they were going. By confusing their language, they automatically broke off into smaller groups. They began living and working with those who spoke their language. Anyone wanting to communicate with the other groups would have to laboriously work to learn the other language.

I have thought about this event in history many times the past several months. It was a year ago today that I began seriously studying to be a polyglot (one who knows and uses several languages). I have dabbled in Greek (2 years studying with Jonathan and Benjamin as part of their foreign language studies). I have studied Latin off and on for years and even taught it at home school co-ops. I cannot say I am fluent at either. In fact, I can confidently say that I am very much a beginner but studying them has made this past year easier. Our modern languages borrow from and build on each other. Learning one language makes learning the next easier.

On March 15, 2020, I began studying Spanish. I only remember the date because the app I use (Duolingo) reminds me everyday how many days I have been using it. This date also coincided with the great Covid lockdown of 2020. A good time to take on a new learning opportunity. With the lockdown came a much more relaxed lifestyle for my family. I was able for several months to spend 2 and even 3 hours a day studying Spanish.

You may be asking yourself if I can hold a conversation with a native speaker. The answer is simple, “no.” I can read quite a bit of Spanish. I even use the Spanish Bible frequently in my Bible study (with a Spanish Dictionary close at hand). I am struggling to understand what I hear. I am using several different methods to improve (even eaves dropping on folks at the store who are speaking Spanish, although this is challenging with masks and standing 6 feet apart). My latest way to improve my listening skills is to listen to familiar stories (like Little Red Riding Hood) read on a podcast. Did you know you can slow the speech down on those things? A life saver for me. I think I am listening at maybe a 2-year-old level, reading on a 7-year-old level, and learning grammar on a 6th grade level. That is exactly backwards of how we learn our native language.

I have benefited in some unexpected ways. I now have a profound respect for those who come to our country and learn our language. I also understand why someone who is learning our language uses “broken English” as we call it. What we consider broken English is actually using English words mixed with Spanish grammar. Now when I hear someone struggling to get the right words out, I understand the difficulty they are experiencing. The thought process they are going through. The mental gymnastics they are using just to form a complete sentence. I am in awe of how well they do and much more sympathetic to their struggles.

The lesson we learn from “The Tower of Babel” is that God wants us to depend on Him not on ourselves. God separated them into small groups during that time and ever since we have tried to gather everyone back into one group again. Think about the Egyptians as they attempted to conquer everyone and put them under their control. Think about the Romans, the British and many others who have attempted, with brute force, to make a name for themselves, leaving God completely out of the picture. With one word of His mouth, God efficiently separated man into groups who would forevermore struggle to combine back together.

It is happening today as well. The new world order. The worldwide economy. Mankind can dream of the utopia they think this will create but God knows that we are better off in much smaller groups. Groups who must depend on Him. For those who are willing to put forth the effort, a bridge of communication can form but it is not easy and there are few who put forth the effort. If God does not want us to unite as they did in Genesis 11, He will keep us from it.

I plan to continue my study of Spanish and hope to one day be able to have a meaningful conversation with native speakers. Hopefully on March 15, 2022, I will be able to post about my 730th day of learning Spanish.

Here is a list of some of my favorite resources: