grammar

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::: As I studied Japanese this afternoon, I recalled a discouraging experience last weekend. Last Saturday evening, in a church member's house, I took part in the men's small group. 'It's on the tip of my tongue', that feeling of traceable competence that I have yet to experience here, did not apply whatsoever to me that evening. With little competence to trace, I felt trapped on an island, sensing rather acutely -- painfully, really -- my limited grasp of the language.
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Walking home, I asked God, 'Will I ever be able to speak Japanese -- let alone teach and preach -- with ease and effectiveness?' The question casts an ironic shade: it begs me to get back to the books, yet it bugs me with a gallery of gaffe after gaffe.
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Which is a prime reason why language learning provides good spiritual nutrition for me and Claire. As we've learned and heard from many of our Asian Access colleagues, besides the obvious upshot of clearer communication, language learning invites the kind of situational discouragement that God uses to sustain our ultimate reliance on Him and enrich our grammar of persistence.
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