Take a "turn about" in God's word
Spiritual Reflections
Pat Ozment, Jr.
Even though many of our friends in Ghana speak English, we often find that their brand of English does not fit our ear, and our brand of English does not fit their's. They speak with a pronounced accent similar to that found among people of African ancestry who live in the Tropical Islands once ruled by the British. The similarity is not hard to understand considering their common origin, and the common thread of British influence. Their problem hearing what we say is not just because we are from the U.S., but also because we are from the South. Added to the communication problem is the difference in terminology. They have terms and phrases that we aren't familiar with. For instance, if you ask for an item in a store and are told that "it is finished," you should understand that the item is no longer available. You may be looking at the item in question, but if it is the last one, they will not sell it to you. If they say "it is spoiled," that means the merchandise is defective. Another term is "turn about." It has nothing to do with fair play. It refers to an intersection having 5 or more streets with a circle in the middle. When you come to a "turn about," you join the mass of bikes, motor bikes, and motor driven vehicles, circling madly until you see your street, and then you "turn about." If you aren't sure which is your street, you just keep "turning about" until you make up your mind. Then there is "take away." That is not the mathematical expression you encountered as a child. When you place an order at a restaurant, for food to be eaten elsewhere, you order "take away," not "carry out." A different application for these new terms occurred to me. When you are uncertain about a choice in your life, take a "turn about" in God's word. Stay there until it gives you something to "take away." When confronted with that choice again, just remember the "turn about," and say, "it is finished." If we follow this practice, God will never say that we are "spoiled." See you in Church.
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