“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” 

Isaiah 30:21

My oldest, Ethan, graduated from High School this past weekend. What a wonderful celebration filled with pomp and circumstance, family and friends, stories, pictures, and a few tears. High School graduation is the first big life milestone and we had fun celebrating Ethan.

He received many congratulations, cards, and some gifts. I gave him a jar of applesauce. Yes, you read that right—applesauce.

Ethan was 3. Already he was communicating clearly and profoundly. One morning I came into say goodbye before heading off to work. He didn’t want me to go and didn’t understand why I had to do other things. 1,000s of questions came flying at me—most of them starting with “why.” I did my best to answer them as honestly and quickly as I could. 

“Why do you go to work?”
“Why do you work at church?”
“Why can’t you stay home?”
“Why are you leaving me, Daddy?”

I loved every second of it. But I was also trying to satisfy his curiosity before heading out. This was the phase when Ethan recently fell in love with applesauce. We thought it might be a phase. It has not been a phase. The boy—he’s a man now—doesn’t stop eating applesauce.

In a desperate last ditch effort I knew I needed to make the need for money understandable. “I need to bring home the bacon.” But, I didn’t want to explain bacon yet. Applesauce! You love applesauce!

“Ethan, I’m headed to work so I can bring home the applesauce!”

I’ve often reflected back on that moment. We have laughed about it. And, it has been a refrain for those late nights when I’m working or when one of our kids is saving up for something special—we work to get the applesauce.

So, for graduation, I gave Ethan a jar. And a letter. All of it to celebrate where he has been and where he is going. His first 18 years have been well spent learning skills and abilities. He is about to head on to further learn how to bring home his own applesauce. In lots of ways, this milestone is a monumental shift for Ethan. And for us.

I share all of this because I’m proud of my son.  But, today, because I want to lift up that moment of inspiration as I was standing and talking to my inquisitive 3 year old. As soon as Ethan learned that I needed to go to work in order to bring home the applesauce, something clicked within him. He understood. It certainly didn’t answer all of his questions, but it answered enough of them. 

In that moment, I figured out how to speak in his language. I took a bigger truth and put it in understandable words for my 3 year old. 

God does this as well. God speaks in your language. His message of love, goodness, and grace comes to you in ways that you can understand. Translating the Good News of Jesus is the specialty of the One who died and rose for you.

Certainly not every message lands on understanding ears. But, you and I are not ready for every message He has to give at every moment. Some messages are meant for different ears.

God speaks in your language. That’s why there are thousands of missionaries who are busy translating the timeless Word of God into different languages. The promise of God speaking in the language of the people is why there are people living in far away lands, learning languages, and creating a system so these languages can be read and translated. This is holy and important work.

What about you? Translating God’s Word is not a job meant solely for missionaries. We are all invited into this holy calling. That’s what discipleship is about. It is taking the timeless and unchanging Word of God and translating it into the ever changing and evolving language of the people. 

You are one who has received the Good News of Jesus. It is more than mental calisthenics to think through ways to share this hope-filled message with your neighbor. How can you tell the story of Jesus so your over extended single mom can hear a word of grace? How can you express the love of God to your down-on-his-luck acquaintance who just lost his jobs and is staring up at a mountain of bills? What is the message God is giving you to tell to the disgruntled teen who is passed over by everyone and is only seen as a disrespectful menace? 

You see, that’s the power and challenge of translation. It isn’t for you—it’s for the one to whom you are speaking.

In so many ways, translation is what Jesus did when He stepped down from heaven and became shrouded in human flesh. He is God’s love. And His presence comes to us in a way we can understand. This, in the simplest ways, is what it means that the Word became flesh. God, translated into a language you can understand. 

He is still speaking. To you. And through you. God speaks in your language. 

Who is someone in your circle that needs a message of love and hope translated?