Southern Spanish

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1, NIV

Have you ever tried speaking Spanish with a southern accent? Even though I took two years of Spanish in high school and performed well on the written tests, I could never quite get the hang of speaking Spanish aloud—especially in front of other people! Because I did so well on the written tests, I was placed in the more advanced second-year class at Erskine College. Oh my, I was totally unprepared for that!

Lost does not even begin to describe the inadequacy I felt Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two whole weeks! Our professor spoke Spanish fluently and very fast the whole class. We even played Spanish bingo, but not one square on my card was ever filled! When our teacher called the roll in our special Spanish names, I never uttered a sound (although I desperately wanted to scream “Adios!” because I couldn’t even understand my Spanish name being called).

Sheer fear and embarrassment held me back from saying anything at first, but I finally made an appointment to see my professor after two weeks had passed. I admitted to her how lost I was. She told me she had assumed I had dropped the class. Since I had never responded when she called me by my Spanish name, she had marked me absent the six times I was actually there.

Once again, God used a life experience to help me appreciate that He summons me by name. The one and only true God, Creator of everything and the God infinitely involved with His people every minute of every day, has called me by name. He has called you by name too.

He wants us to know that He has us covered for all eternity and that we will not be counted absent “when the roll is called up yonder,” as the old hymn says, because we belong to Him in Jesus Christ if we have received Him by faith.

We may not understand some of our circumstances in this life, but we can rest assured that God fully understands us. He knows the unique language of our heart. He speaks whatever language we speak (including Southern) fluently, and He delights in helping us learn His language of love.

No name games with God! Ask Him to give you a glimpse today of His personal care for you, a child He loves to call by name.