Thoughts about language

Who is Nat?

My name is Natalie Husk, although most people call me Nat (except my parents!). I was born and raised in Cornwall and am proud of it! I have always been involved in the church, whether going to my local village chapel in Common Moor, joining with bus loads from Cornwall at MAYC events, helping at the District Children’s Holiday or even attending Synod a few times! I am very thankful to the Cornwall District, the Liskeard & Looe Circuit and of course Common Moor chapel for being such valuable parts in my journey of faith.

Today I live in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, where I work as a youth worker for the Methodist Church. I run after school clubs, youth clubs, a youth fellowship, do outreach work and organise trips away. Not long ago I was asked by a youth group, to give them a weekly topic for reflection, an email containing something to focus them on God for the week. So every week I sit at my computer and write down my thoughts! It started quite small, with just the young people receiving them, and now lots of people of all ages find my thoughts in their email inbox!

It is a huge privilege for me to find that people enjoy and are challenged by what I have written, especially that I can now share what God has done for me with those who walked with me at the beginning of my journey. Ultimately these reflections are aimed at the young people I now work with, but if God can speak to others through them, how great is that!!

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December
Advice
I Love You

November
38. Bald is beautiful
37. Fire
36 Sleep
35 Music

October 2006
34. Stupidity
33. Painting
32. mmm Pasties
31. Built to last
30. Phlegm

September 2006
29. Meetings
28. Crime thoughts
27. Colours
26. Unwanted guests

August 2006
25. Comparison
24. Waterproof Mascara
23. Tasty MSG
22. Helplessness

July 2006
21. Attraction
20. Hair
19. Hero
18. Laughter
17. Factoids

June 2006
16. Voiceless
15. Bruises (ouch)
14. Sunburn
13. Mistakes

May 2006
12. Arms
11. Willow Tree
10. Eurovision
9. Chicken
8. Addictions

April 2006
7. Age
6. Celebrities
5. Language

March 2006
4. Commonwealth Games
3. Decisions
2. Drizzle
1. Trelawney

Language

Good afternoon chaps and chapesses!

For the first time in ages I have flung open my windows and let the beautiful weather into my house. It feels so nice to be able to open my windows without fear of rain pouring in – yes spring has finally sprung and it’s a beautiful day! My rooms are now filled with fresh, outside air, which smells nice and … well I can’t really describe it, but it feels good to fill my lungs with it! I can also hear lovely spring like sounds, birds chirping, a dog barking and the merry sound of children playing. For a split second (before reality comes crashing in) it feels all ‘Disney’ like with all of nature and humankind in harmony and having fun, and I wait for singing to start and for the animals to start dancing. But before this happens (which I’m sure one day it will!) a loud shout breaks the peacefulness.

The children who were happily playing next door are of Pakistani origin and were happily playing and chatting to each other and their mother in Punjabi, and then suddenly they would start talking in English. I was impressed that these children, aged no more than 5 years old, were bilingual when I can barely greet someone in another language (although I can say a funny thing in Japanese!). That is until I realized that they only spoke English when they had done something wrong – the mother praised them and played with then in Punjabi but when it came to telling them off she used English! These children may grow up associating the English language as a negative thing, there to reprimand and constrict. As I sat these listening to this, becoming more and more angry at my neighbour, I suddenly had a flash of the language I use everyday. I’m not talking about my English dialect (even if I talk proper and you Yorkshire folk don’t! J) but I am talking about how I use my words. Yes, on occasions I use words to encourage and build others up, but I also use words to criticise and to knock people down. I use sarcasm rather than being honest with my words and I can also use an absence of words to express what I would never dare to say face to face. Maybe I am being too hard on myself, but the thing is we can never know to what effect our words have.

So, what language do you use? Is it the language of love that Jesus commanded us to talk, or do your words have a sour taste of put downs and negativity? Perhaps this week you could take time to examine what comes out of your mouth, and maybe like me, resolve to not use your language only in a damaging way.

All my love for a great week and a choc-filled, yet reflective, Easter! Nat xxx