or people who have grown up outside the United States, learning that the U.S. does not have an official language may come as a surprise. Indeed, with English having become the lingua franca of business and culture all over the world, one may be forgiven for thinking of it as the official language of the United States. And while some states have designated English as their official language, many have not. And there is no provision in the United States’ Constitution designating an official language.

 

That means you are free to speak the language of your choice or origin. And if there are enough people who speak the same language, government and businesses will eventually accommodate you. And so, in many places we now have English as well as Spanish signs, documents, help lines, etc.

 

Meanwhile, we all know we are going to have an official language in heaven, don’t we? I hear it said with a wink and a smile that Spanish is going to be heaven’s official language. I laugh when I hear that, because I love Spanish, and I know how to recognize a standard Adventist joke when I hear one. Considering the deep and long-lasting consequences on the course of human history the curse of Babel has brought, no doubt there will be one unifying and perhaps official language in heaven, given to us in Pentecost fashion. Whether it will be Spanish or any other language we speak here remains to be seen.

 

Yet I hope that does not mean Spanish, English, French, Korean, Tagalog, Choctaw, or any other language God’s children speak or have spoken is not going to be represented. I hope we will not all be translated to heaven (no pun intended) with a permanent case of amnesia. After all, just as race deeply defines us as individuals, so does our mother tongue. Take away my French-speaking core, and I am not me anymore.

 

It is my understanding that, where Jesus has gone to prepare us a place, we will recognize one another, which means we will be identified by at least some of whatever has made us who we are here. Languages and cultures are the stuff of diversity. If we can be united in one common language, but different according to the variety of God’s multifaceted creation, what an interesting place heaven will be! If so, prepare for a few language lessons as you meet the saints, and more important, for the right attitudes to learn (which you need as a Christian anyway).

Here is a sampling of lessons every language student needs:

 

1. Be patient. It takes time to learn a new language, lots of time. Picking up the latest CD in heaven’s library promising fluency in 30 days will hardly give you mastery; nor should it. After all, you have all of eternity to learn!

 

2. Be humble. Every word, every sentence structure has to be learned and memorized one by one. When you have achieved mastery in your own language, starting again from scratch in another can be a truly humbling experience.

 

3. Be prepared to have your mind and heart readjusted. Learning a new language can make you feel as if your brain is exploding while new pathways are formed in it. More important, learning a new language means taking on a new culture, another way of being and relating. It changes you deeply. It grows you into a bigger self. Beware: the process can be quite uncomfortable.

 

4. Be prepared to exercise and experience grace. A pastoral colleague of mine was preaching in front of his peers and their children. Being an English-speaker preaching in German, he had an ever-so-slight accent, but his grammar was perfect. Having wrestled with mastering German myself, I couldn’t help admiring his polished delivery. A few rows ahead of me, however, I overheard one of the kids making fun of him, mimicking and exaggerating his accent. I was stunned. While I was admiring, someone else was mocking.