It may sound silly, but one of my greatest fears is losing things. Not in the traditional sense, mind you, but I'm terrified of the thought of losing my ability to play trumpet. When the possibility that I may someday forget how to take a derivative or use a trigonometric identity crosses my mind, I get chills down my spine and a knot in my stomach. (Yes, I know - I'm a nerd.) Even the chance that I may eventually forsake my love for my favorite bands haunts me day in and day out, so when, while registering for classes, I realized that I won't have much room in my schedule to take Spanish courses over the next four years, I was utterly horrified. That, however, is when God swooped in.

After an entire day of being flown around from airport to airport, I was on my way to Guatemala City when a woman in an adjacent seat noticed that I was reading the Bible. "Are you a Christian?" she inquired, and I, already on edge about having to translate in a few hours and also overwhelmingly weary from my travels, didn't realize she had spoken to me in English. "Sí, ¿y Ud.?" I replied, and she seemed taken aback that I had spoken to her in her native tongue. Here, however, is the interesting part: upon realizing that I was at least mildly proficient in Spanish, she began to show me how wide and long and high and deep are the discrepancies in translation between the Spanish and English versions of the Scriptures. And in so doing, she unknowingly gave me a challenge, a type of holy quest, something that not only would help me maintain the language skills that I've been cultivating over the past six years, but also would greatly strengthen my relationship with Jesus Christ - she bade me read the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in Spanish. Now having finished the Book of Genesis, I've found this mission to be immensely rewarding.

First, God's shown me through the Spanish language that no matter how you express it, truth is truth. There is no change in the reality of God's grace, His love, or His abundant goodness from country to country. The opportunity for forgiveness and entrance into a new life is the same whether you're American, Chilean, Russian, or French, and salvation, achieved through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is by no means contingent on language, race, or nationality.

The Spanish translation of the Bible has also given me a greater understanding of the nuances of the text. I remember one specific example that woman on the plane gave a few weeks ago. In Psalm 139, David declares this to the Lord: "You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways." The word for "to search" used here in Spanish is neither "examinar" nor "buscar," two verbs that carry with them said denotation. Instead, the translator used the word "escudriñar," a verb not only meaning "to search" but to scrutinize, to seek to know every single part of, to become 100% familiar with. Isn't that beautiful, that the Lord is not only aware of your every thought and intention, but that he also wants to know them? That he wants to help you and that he daily makes an effort to do so?

Finally, although it seems at times as if you're the only one who does good and although you may feel as if you're continually surrounded by only darkness, I am daily reminded through this medium that there are those all around the world, of every country, tongue, and culture, living their lives in the service of Jesus Christ. Thus, the various translations of the Bible simply reinforce Paul's idea in his First Letter to the Corinthians, that we are all one as the body of Christ and that, though many, we are united in our common goal to bring glory to the Creator of All Things. Praise God for that truth!