Have you ever noticed something you’ve seen a million times, and all of a sudden, it just hits different? I was on the plane headed to the Southwest, sitting in the dark, staring at the exit sign. It gave two choices, English/Spanish, pointing toward the exit doors. I asked myself why salida feels gracefully welcoming compared to the English version. The man sitting next to me asked what I was taking a picture of, lol. I explained my thoughts to him, and he agreed. He shared that his wife is Spanish, and the things he’s learned from her.
Salida, it sounds like an invitation not a command. Like someone’s opening a door with grace, someone you’d want to be friends with. It carries this quiet elegance that fits right in with the Spanish way of doing things: a culture built on grace, community, gentleness, and passion.
Maybe it’s just me getting older, but I’m noticing how much weight a single word can carry. How language shapes the way we feel about what we’re doing. How a simple response, although both are necessary, feels different. Exit feels like being pushed. Salida feels like being welcomed somewhere else.
If I ever had to leave in a hurry, I wouldn’t mind hearing it in the soft syllables of salida.
The first time I really noticed the beauty of the Spanish language, I was listening to a cover of “Kiss Me and Say Goodbye.” I had never heard the song before, he was telling a story about someone he loved but shouldn’t have. I was surprised to hear the lyrics. It was the deep honesty that threw me off. It was good in English, but then I heard the Spanish version of Dame Un Beso y Dime Adiós. Oh my, it was beautiful! It sounded like a confession the way he delivered the melody. The man belted it, like longing for an ounce of relief from the secret he kept. But it wasn’t; it was him singing goodbye. It was the truest form of self exposed for the world to see. To me, honesty is beautiful. It’s rare and it takes courage knowing that more than likely they will be left in a pool of shame or a quick follow up of “thanks.” In today’s culture, the majority of people seem to be allergic to honesty. It’s a vulnerable place… not really welcome. It should be welcomed long enough to hold space to heal, to walk through something and to offer support as an actual pillar while they process emotion. That’s a friend, that’s community. Which brings another topic.. Back to the point..
Even in “Christian” circles, is it really acceptable to be super honest without being judged, added to the prayer list, or gossiped about? It’s quite sad actually.
You spend your time creating these environments of acceptance and love but how deep does it really go? We are commanded to bear one another’s burdens, Galatians 6:2. What kind of love would that look like? To really love others in ways that give someone the space to want to confess all their sins to you? Which is also talked about in the Bible (James 5:16), you know, this book Christians follow… and yes, wisdom does tell us to be selective and use discernment, obviously. But it made me think and reflect about life in various circles throughout the years. How many people could you fully trust like that, and how are you becoming one of those people others can trust? Cultivating within yourself a place of respite. And the trickiest part? When it’s not reciprocated. There have been people in my life that have shown kindness in ways and in length that were meaningful, on point in timely need, that made me feel seen and cared for that put to shame the culture that’s expected to be the light (the church). And I see God’s hand in that. He does use people, even if they deny who He is; they were all created in his image. There’s so much emphasis on love in the Bible. We are commanded to love other’s deeply. John 15:10-12. I want to encourage you today to step into more intention, deeply from the heart and see if your world not only changes around you but also within you. – for it is better to give than receive.
It made me wonder how many other things I’ve passed by in one form, never realizing there was another version quietly out there: the grace-filled version. Saying the same thing in love, not excuses, still accountable, but walking along viewing the best version of reality and choosing love.
Be intentional…