I can’t count the times people have asked me to pick only one language between the two I speak fluently.
Even if people understand (a lot don’t!) that I can speak, read, and write both English and German equally well, they are often not satisfied with “both” as the answer.
“But what’s the language of your heart?” is the question that frequently follows.
When I reply that I don’t know, since I don’t have an easily-picked “language of the heart,” people will often ask questions in an attempt to answer the question for me or help me find the answer.
I’ve been asked in what language I think, dream, and read my Bible (to which the answer is always “both”). The look people give me in response is usually one of confusion.
I understand. If I’m honest, I think myself that my TCK-ness is quite confusing at times. In fact, the question of mother tongue and bilingualism was a sore subject for me for a long time. If you catch me in the wrong moment, it still is.
There is something about language that has a lot to do with who you are. Therefore, not being able to define this supposed “language of my heart” has frequently left me feeling mother-tongueless and has only added to my pre-existing wound, grounded in identity struggles.
How God Speaks
Last autumn, I was feeling discouraged after yet another conversation in which someone had tried to define my mother tongue for me. In that moment, God spoke to me.
“Sarah, I speak the language of your heart.”
It startled me. Upon thinking it through, though, I realized there was no reason for me to be surprised.
God is not limited to human languages. He doesn’t need me to choose between English or German. In fact, He doesn’t have to choose between the two either.
I remember the time God spoke to me through a sermon in a language I am far from fluent in. Did I get the message the preacher wanted to convey? I don’t know. But I can say for certain that I got the message God wanted me to hear.
The God Who Knows My Heart
If God wants me to get a message, I can know for certain that He will say it in a way that I can understand.
God doesn’t speak in riddles that only the cleverest among us can solve. God speaks clearly. Not always the way we expect Him to or want Him to, but in a way we will understand Him.
In fact, I would dare to say that heart languages are more than words.
God isn’t limited to speaking with words. He can speak through creation – such as a sunrise or sunset – through a circumstance, or even through an object.
A friend of mine was walking down the street one day when she saw a stone on the pavement in the shape of a heart. In that moment, God spoke to her, through a stone, telling her He loved her.
He Speaks My Heart Language
God has spoken to me before in both English and German. I understand better now that it doesn’t matter if I can’t define the language of my heart.
Jesus knows and understands me better than I will ever be able to understand myself. While other people might try to categorize and define me, He simply knows. He knows which words (or sometimes no words!) I need at which moment to receive the message He is giving to me, be it in English, German, or something entirely different.
Perhaps I will never be able to answer the question of what the language of my heart is. But I’m learning more and more that I don’t have to. Because no matter what the answer to that question is – no matter what language or languages my heart language includes, I can know one thing for certain: the Creator of the universe can speak it. And His words are the ones that matter most.
TCKs for Christ: Writer & Email Manager
Sarah Susanna Rhomberg
is an MCK from Europe who is fluent in both English and German. She has cried many tears over the question of home, mother tongue, and identity, and wants to use these experiences to encourage others. Aside from writing, she loves reading, butterflies, and sunsets. Sarah wants to live her life for Christ and writes to glorify Him. You can connect with her at Truth & Hope.
