Just A Big Misunderstanding

Yearly reading: Genesis 9-11

And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech. Genesis 11: 6-7 NRSV

I used to think this was the Biblical explanation for the many spoken languages on earth. But this morning, I have come to realize this is about misunderstanding.

My husband and I speak the same language. However, it is rare for us to actually hear what the other is saying. One of our marriage-building exercises is to repeat what we hear the other person saying. Many times we can get it correct but only with a great deal of effort. In other words, it works when we do the exercise but not when we speak to one another on a daily basis.

I also speak the same language as my parents. But often I can sense that many times they just don't get what I am saying. It really isn't a matter of understanding per se but a matter of seeing the world in a similar way. I have spent time in a regular basis to try to explain myself to my mother; I have given up on my father - he is only going to see things from his own perspective.

Then there is my son. He is only eight but I can begin to see what he is going to be like as a teenager. He has already learned how to tune me out.

And this is just in my own family! Forget working together in order to accomplish the impossible. If we can't communicate with one another, how can we hope to communicate with others?

We shall all have to depend upon God to accomplish the impossible.

Perhaps that is the meaning of today's scripture.

God, with you nothing is impossible. We place ourselves in your hands. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims

You Do Not Really Love Me

On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me. " He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. Judges 14:15-17 NRSV

The secret of a good marriage: honest communication.

What if Samson's wife had just told him that her people were threatening to burn her and her father's house? Wouldn't Samson had done something then? Instead, she says the worst six manipulative words for any two persons in a relationship: you do not really love me. Then she cries for the rest of her week-long wedding celebration.

It is quite obvious that she does not love Samson. She just wants to make sure she and her family are not killed. She is willing to betray Samson's trust and confidence.

And she won't be the last woman in his life to do so.

God, we pray that we can be open and honest when we talk to you. Thank you for listening. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Question of the day: What are the limits of honesty in communicating with someone you love?

Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims