The Same in Every Language

Today marks a month of residing in Costa Rica.  We started our fourth week of class yesterday. We have been very busy learning Spanish little by little (or “poco a poco” as they say here).  In my grammar class this week, we’ve been working on our understanding of the verbs “ser,” “estar,” and “tener”­ (three of the five “to be” verbs).  In order to gain a better grasp on their usage, we’ve been describing people.  We started with our families and moved onto famous persons: Hitler, Miss Piggy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bert and Ernie and the like.  When we neared the end of our class today, our teacher said, “Now describe Jesus.”

Él es bueno. 
Él es amable.                                                                                                                                                                              
Él es simpático.                                                                                                                                                                                        
Él es agradable.                                                                                                                                                                                               
Él es generoso.                                                                                                                                                                                             
Él es sincero.                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Él es amoroso.                                                                                                                                                                                       
Él está furioso en el temple.                                                                                                                                                         
Él está hambriento y sediento en el desierto.                                                                                                                       
Él tiene paciencia.                                                                                                                                                                            
Él tiene dolor por todos en la cruz.

I felt overwhelmed.  I felt like I was falling in love all over again.  My heart softened.  Tears started streaming down my face.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Jesus has the same attributes in any language. His love is the same and applies to every culture, people, and nation.  I am grateful to serve such an amazing God.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.     –Ephesians 3:14-19