Hello....

I am a word person. Through and through. Whether written on a page, set to music or spoken in my ear, I find them delightful.

But, as it is with anything you love, I must admit that words sometimes frustrate me. Most frequently I am disappointed in words used in our Bible translations. Or perhaps it is the inadequacies of the English language. I'll read a passage and interpret it one way...only to find that in the Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic that one particular word can have several meanings. And thus the translation chosen affects the interpretation of the passage. Please don't think that I am “putting down” the English language...it is my mother tongue...the words I will speak until I breath my last. But case in point:

In English we use and over-use the word Love. Think about it...we all do, don't we? In Greek there are four words for Love...
1.Eros: Erotic or physical love
2.Storge: familial love...a love for family...it is strong and requires commitment
3.Philia: Brotherly love, it is not a repetition of storge but is love felt for our
fellow man
4.Agape: Unconditional love...I have heard it called “God Love” it is the strongest
and most desirable of all love.

Since most of the words in the English language have their roots in other languages, is there any reason we can't incorporate some “new” ones into our everyday lives and conversations? I recently ran across a couple of new words that I would love (see, there's that word again!) to use:

Sawubona:
Is a Zulu word which literally means not just hello but “I see you”. It is considered an offense to pass another without this greeting. In doing so, you have unequivocally told this person that they do not exist to you...they are not worth greeting. It's as good as a slap in the face!

The response to Sawubona is Ngikhona
which effectively means
I am here
I exist
I matter

What a joy to be able to convey such depth of feeling with one or two choice words. Keep these new ones in mind the next time you greet someone. But when you do, stop and really "see” them!