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Sign Language is A Gift, God-Given Part Of

Source: Youtube
A black-shirt interpreter worked next to a pastor preparing the Communion

As a Deaf Christian, I surely have different experiences and testimony from my friend is also a Deaf person. So, I would like to share but I am required to protect her privacy, so I won't be able to share her privacy like who is her name, where is she from, etc. 

She and I got a video call and talked about Christianity. She is a Deaf Christian born and raised but struggling to understand God's word. She is also a native sign language same as mine, but we are different. I grew up in a hearing Christian community where I spend time worshiping God at English Worship and experience in that place. I have an interpreter and some friends who are hearing and know little sign language. And I'm the only Deaf person at my church.  She is also the only Deaf person at her church but actually, she has a Deaf friend as well. She does not have an interpreter at her church and is struggling to understand God's word. She routinely attends the PST (Persekutuan Sahabat Tuli) or Deaf Friends Fellowship that is held from GKI Kebayoran Baru Jakarta to attend Bible study every Monday night on Zoom. Her parents are hearing and Christian, but they never teach her about Christianity because they do not know sign language. It makes her have to learn Christianity herself. 

Sign language is full of history and studies related to Deaf life, cultures, and traditions. Sign language is founded by Pedro Ponce de Leon in the 16th century. Sign Language has been growing and ended up being recognized as a language equal to verbal languages, like English. Sign language isn't just part of Deaf culture that we are proud of but is part of God-given. That's a gift. Without sign language, we are nothing. Sign language is a blessing and gift. 

We see how Aaron, the brother of the Levite God sent to accompany Moses had less speech on missions in Exodus 4: 10-17. God said to him when Moses complained, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it I, the Lord?" in verse 11. It defines that God created for His own image and we see this back in Genesis 1: 27.

"So God created man in his own image
in the image of God he created him

'male and female he created them" Genesis 1: 27

In the Old Testament, clearly, you are about to understand why God created sign language, a gift to Deaf people. It as well as it does to Jesus spoke three or four languages, Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew, and He actually knew Latin that the elite only in John 19: 19-20. It would be deeper to address why Jesus spoke at least three or four languages. Hebrew was the mother tongue because Jesus was a Jew, for sure.

And sign language is a gift from the Lord that we are grateful for and blessed. We know that Jesus healed a Deaf man in Mark 7: 31-37. That's what we have heard that is called a "miracle". That seems often to be used by many churches and pastors who try healing Deaf people, I admit that there is a miracle but a miracle that Jesus meant is Jesus is the hope given and compassion for each other, including Deaf people. I don't deny that there is a miracle that truly happens. A miracle that I meant is making Deaf people get to know Jesus, it is called a miracle, I think. That's what I believe for all, at them of. 

I thought that I was supposed to be a hearing person and blamed myself, but God has a reason for me, and He created me to be a Deaf person with sign language--God-given the beautiful language--to be the light and hope for everyone I meet. I was told by my friends, "You made this community learn sign language!" I'm used to it and I'm so thankful to the Lord for He put me like that and took an effort to be the light of hope for the community. Everyone is the light of hope I am sure but everyone has lost the light of hope so that's why we need to be the light of hope so everyone will have the same. 

Hold on to the light of hope! Hold on and take care of the light as who you are and that's the time. Raise the light of hope. The light of hope that supposed we are to hold and raise because Jesus is the light of hope and came to the world to bring great joy. This is time. Cause a time will happen and come. 

God is so good, that we are proud to be a native sign language, a Deaf person, and thankful to the Lord. That's a gift, a God-given part of.  Thank you, Jesus Christ!

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