Troubles With Translate

 This weekend, I had the privilege of joining a ladies' tea at a local Spanish church. I am always a little bit hesitant to use my Spanish because I am out of practice and very rusty. I had three years of Spanish in high school, but no opportunity to speak it daily, so my vocabulary has dwindled away. This has left me challenged in times where I need to speak Spanish. While visiting Orlando a couple of years ago, we happened to discover a food truck park with 30 food trucks all with Latino inspiration. I thought I could get us through ordering, which I did, only to realize we had ordered $120 worth of seafood. Ouch! My next venture was in Puerto Rico last summer. I was wedged between two Spanish-speaking women who could not speak any English. They were very kind, and I managed to communicate, but it was tough. I had much better luck ordering from the food trucks there. This brings me to the tea. I thought I would guarantee success by using Google translate to fill in my vocabulary blanks. I waited until time to say goodbye and thanked the hostess for having us, to which she shook her head and graciously corrected me on my choice of words. I didn't recognize the word she told me to use, but had moment of panic about the incorrect word I had wrongly been advised to use. I didn't get relief until today when a member of our church, also a Spanish teacher, told me it was nothing bad, just the wrong phrase to get what I wanted to say across. He then told me the correct phrase, which was what the lady had told me. My lack of study had led me to trust something that was quite erroneous. If I had studied more or even asked others fluent in Spanish, I would have discovered that. I thought about the scripture, Ephesians 4:14, "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. NIV" How easy is it to just rely on others to spoon-feed you the Word? Find a little devotion, listen to the pastor, and call it good. Reading the Word for ourselves takes time. Figuring out what the author actually meant during the time of writing, figuring out the context, and knowing the consistent heart of God throughout Scripture isn't always quick and easy. We get in a hurry and take short-cuts, like my Google translate. Sometimes, we gain knowledge of God that is spot-on, but other times we are erroneously informed. The only way to insure that doesn't happen is to study and ask those with character and fruit that lines up with the Word for help.  After all, no one needs to be spoon-fed their entire life. So let's challenge ourselves to grow up spiritually this year! It will grow you closer to God and help you avoid embarrassing situations later like saying, "Thank you for permitting us to leave." Yes, that is what I said. Another piece of advice, avoid Google translate!

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!