Mother Teresa, CEO: The Language of Love

Last updated on: July 15, 2011 at 8:55 pm by Amy Julia Becker

2,198 Comments

Mother Teresa, CEO: The Language of Love 2011-07-15T20:55:19-06:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I used to think that communication was all about words. Spoken words. Written words. Whispered words. Shouted words.

Then I had children.

And I began to realize that communication may include words, but more often it entails hugs and tears and sometimes screeches and yawns and holding hands.

As a part of the current Patheos Book Club, featuring the book Mother Teresa, CEO, I was asked to comment upon one of the leadership principles the book discusses, “communicate in a language people understand.” My children have been my teachers.

Penny and William can tell you something we all learned in the first few months of Marilee’s life: “Babies cry to tell us something.” They repeat this mantra whenever their little sister begins to fuss, and then they ask me, “What is she telling us, Mom?” And I have to figure it out. If she’s yawning or rubbing her eyes, we all know a nap is in order. If I pick her up and she buts her head against my shoulder, she wants food. And if she’s “just fussing,” she usually needs one of us to pay more attention to her, whether that’s Penny singing songs or William giving “zerberts” on her belly or simply sitting in my lap. She has no words. She has no signs. And most of the time we know what she’s saying to us.

We talk back to her in words, of course. I often hear my own voice inside a five-year-old body when Penny says, “Marilee-lee-lee, what’s the matter, sweetheart?” And yet words don’t calm Marilee down or address her needs. To bring her peace, she needs my fingers stroking the side of her cheek. To evoke a smile, she needs one of her siblings to get right up close and giggle. Kisses. Hugs. The warmth of a lap and the comfort of grasping my finger with hers.

I trust that Mother Teresa used words as necessary to communicate care. And yet I suspect that the reason her communication was effective had far less to do with her words and far more to do with eye contact and body language, with moving towards a person who was sick and hurting rather than recoiling with self-protection… offering the gift of physical touch to an “untouchable”… demonstrating the love of Christ through the language of bathing and embracing, through laughter and tears.

Marilee is growing up, and before long she’ll be able to say, “Mom, may I have a cup of milk, please?” (though if she’s anything like her siblings, I’ll have to remind her to say please). But I hope she will have learned that I communicate with her not only by saying, “Sure you can,” but also by pouring the milk and bringing it over. I hope I will teach her not only the rudimentary elements of spoken words, of grammar and punctuation and enunciation and the like, but also the language of touch and attentiveness, the language of love.

This post first appeared at Amy Julia Becker’s blog, Thin Places.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 13, 2011

Mother Teresa, CEO: The Power of Silence

Next Post

July 19, 2011 Radical Together: Are Conservative Churches Getting Radical?

Recent Comments

2,198 Comments | Leave a Comment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Author Q&A Book Review Christian Living Church Leadership Stump a Scholar Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2022 March 2021 October 2020 August 2020 February 2019 November 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Haggai" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God's Messenger The Rock The Lord Saves Festive