Speaking in other’s spiritual Love languages, and more in our own!

I was talking to someone this week, about my own spirituality, and where it’s grounded. I was using Jewish and Christian metaphors, when she stopped and asked me, if i could speak what I’ve learned in more personal language, one more “straight from my heart”. Good challenge.

Can you speak about God in another language which any person could understand, rather than in a traditional religious language? So another person can encounter whatever you have learned. Art and stories, are my preferred medium! More like telling the parables of your life! What Pearls you’ve found, what treasures to use a couple of Jesus’ metaphors.

I studied world religions and art in school, and have a heart to translate what I’ve learned of true spirituality into a more universal, but deeply authentic, language. Van Gogh says more of (and perhaps from) God, than many preachers!

Often, i find myself talking about what makes life meaningful, purposeful. How do we love and live better. All the great religions ask and attempt to answer these questions. I think it’s useful to be able to be able to speak your spiritual story in an authentic voice. For me, that includes spiritual traditions and art, especially Christianity.

But my own experience was with Christ before with Christian culture. We met in dreams and real life, and i was impressed; so we began a life long friendship. He’s still my closest friend.

But He likes all people of all cultures, so I do too. And He even likes His Church, which is not easy at times.

I liked this challenging question though. Can we speak about our faith or spirituality in an authentic way not just in our religious tradition’s language systems, but in a human way, which is true to what we have experienced from life thus far. My dad was also an anthropologist, in addition to a pastor. I think i inherited his love of other, and speaking what he’d learned in their languages!

Can we speak our story through art, for instance, which in some ways is more direct. Or, if it is authentic to speak from the language of your tradition, can you do so without borrowing, but truly “make it your own”. The idea even if your Christian, is to make sure the Stumbling Block is actually Christ, and not our language system, or way of representing Him. Learning to speak of His Life in a living authentic way, interest me. We are not converting people to Christian tradition, but introducing them to Christ Himself, as my mentor put it!
Since we are all human, we have common spiritual needs, and inner questions. So we are free to dialogue with one another on that basic human level about the things of The Spirit!

Good reminder this week. Authentic spirituality can converse in Love! And Love’s listening heart’s ear! Can we speak our heart’s songs in a living way, which can converse with the rest of our family?! Good challenge.

Of course, how we live might say more than, what we say or how we say it. Still, i like linguistic challenges in life! The parables are all about using common things to speak about and help people enter The Uncommon!