(Let’s go!) يلا
“You’re a lady doing the worker’s job!” I looked up from my sweeping to smile at the neighbor passing. I shrugged and cheerfully told her it was good exercise. She laughed, agreed, exchanged a few more words, and continued walking. That exchange was in the local dialect of Arabic. I understood her. She understood me. I could answer in a culturally appropriate way to justify my behavior (sweeping the front stoop) that is not typically seen in local culture.[1] Mentally, I pat myself on the back, thinking, “That’s an Arabic win!” No matter how small the conversation, it is a win when both parties have a complete understanding. Learning the local dialect is a long process and a lifelong journey. It is a process in which I need to have more “grit.”
What is grit? In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth says that grit combines passion and perseverance. Society often associates talent with achievement, but according to Duckworth, grit is more indicative of success than talent.[2] Through her research, she determined four features, among those who are “mature paragons of grit.”[3] The book delves into these four traits: interest, practice, purpose, and hope. Duckworth also gives practical application on how to intrinsically and extrinsically grow grit.[4] As I self-evaluated my grit level, the main area that stood out to me as having a significant grit deficit was learning Arabic. An excellent place to start is to plug my language-learning trajectory into Duckworth’s four characteristics of grit.
I will pair these four aspects of grit with “survival tips” from the book Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission. Sue Eenigenburg and Robynn Bliss address common areas that lead to unmet expectations and burnout in women living cross-culturally. They give practical application in dealing with these challenges and building resilience and self-awareness for a fruitful ministry overseas. The main reason I am learning Arabic is to share the Gospel. I must maintain a kingdom perspective along my journey of language learning and finding grit. Come along with me as I look at learning Arabic through the lens of passion, perseverance, and my spiritual calling.
Firstly, develop interest by finding joy in what you do.[5] Enjoyment is a large part of passion. We develop interests as we interact with our world.[6] I love relating to my host culture in North Africa. Experiencing life here through their eyes brings me deep enjoyment. When I master an Arabic phrase or, even better, a conversation in Arabic, there is a lot of rejoicing, not just internally. Still, it also brings amusement to those around me. Language learning is a lifelong process. Eenigenburg and Bliss recommend setting realistic goals and expectations to maintain interest and not lose heart.[7] I must continue finding ways to make language learning fun, enjoyable, and engaging.
Practice by spending time refining a skill to develop into effortless performance.[8] I picture one day being able to rattle off Arabic words without trying to force out sounds from the depth of my larynx or a part of my palette that I do not think can form certain sounds. It is a tedious journey with many challenges that require continual perseverance and practice. Eenigenburg and Bliss remind us of God’s faithfulness in giving us the strength to “endure with glorious power” as we live out God’s calling.[9] Practice will bring me closer to fluency and allow me to see God at work through my endurance.
Purpose is “the intention to contribute to the well-being of others.”[10] Duckworth recommends giving yourself a short purpose statement as your ultimate goal in life.[11] For a follower of Jesus, it would be remembering and articulating one’s life purpose and calling to join the Great Commission.[12] I took Duckworth’s challenge. My statement is to promote holistic healing by lovingly guiding others to Jesus. How does language learning fit with this calling and purpose? Speaking the local dialect is vital to building relationships, sharing the Gospel, and showing love in their first language. This is especially true regarding the lives of underprivileged and underserved communities here in North Africa.
As I read this last statement, it energizes me to cling to the last characteristic of grit: hope. Duckworth describes gritty hope as “[resting] on the expectation that our efforts can improve our future.”[13] Building on interest through diligent practice with a purposeful drive statistically brings improvement and the “hope” described in Grit. The Bible speaks of a more profound hope that does not come from our personal striving and improvement.[14] This hope only comes through Christ.[15] The hope I have in Jesus is what I want to share with my Arabic-speaking friends.
Reflecting on these four essential traits of grit, interest, practice, purpose, and hope has helped me refocus and reset my resolve to learn Arabic. These are ways I determined to enhance grit in my language learning journey:
- Reignite my interest by keeping my language learning fun, enjoyable, and a part of my daily life.
- Commit to practicing language for a minimum of 15 minutes every day.
- Review my purpose statement and remember that Arabic fluency will enable me to fulfill my calling and purpose.
- Celebrate the small successes, like the conversation I had while sweeping.
I want to have grit in this journey because I want others to have the Ultimate Hope I have found through Jesus. يلا[16]
[1] In my host culture, ladies of means, which I am as an American woman, do not sweep. That is typically the job of the domestic employees, either male or female.
[2] Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (New York, NY: Scribner, 2016), 8.
[3] Duckworth, Grit, 91.
[4] Duckworth, Grit, 269.
[5] Duckworth, Grit, 91.
[6] Duckworth, Grit, 104.
[7] Sue Eenigenburg and Robynn Bliss, Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library Publishers, 2010), 62.
[8] Duckworth, Grit, 131.
[9] Eenigenburg and Bliss, Expectations and Burnout, 85.
[10] Duckworth, Grit, 143.
[11] Duckworth, Grit, 279.
[12] Eenigenburg and Bliss, Expectations and Burnout, 21.
[13] Duckworth, Grit, 169.
[14] Eenigenburg and Bliss, Expectations and Burnout, 140.
[15] See Romans 15:8-13.
[16] Yalla is Arabic slang for “let’s go.”
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV12 responses to “(Let’s go!) يلا”
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Kari,
I love how you took something that could be seen as mundane, learning a language, and applied it to the four traits of grit. How would you rate the amount of grit that you see among those with whom you work?
Yeah, I want in on this conversation. How is Elysse doing with grit? 🙂
Even better, maybe we should ask Elysse how Kari is doing?
Thanks, Adam & Jeff! I told Elysse to weigh in on this as well 😊. She is very gritty! She helps me to remind me of hope and purpose when I am struggling in my own gritty journey (literally…sand grit gets into everything).
Concerning our host culture, Elysse does a good job addressing this in her blog, https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/grit-vs-survival/
I agree with her that grit is not always synonymous with survival. If perseverance was the only measure of grit, this culture would put Americans to shame! There seems to be a societal lack of purpose and hope and often interest. There is a lot of pressure to do what your family expects you to do. Even in wealthy homes, the father is often the one who chooses what degree you will study and where.
Hi Kari, Your joy is contagious and I imagine that your very countenance exudes the love of Jesus to others. I am not completely sure how to ask this question but are you sensing any movement on your goal of sharing the gospel by being able to speak Arabic? Was there something in particular that drew you to East Africa?
Peace
Diane, thank you so much for your kind words and great questions. God has been giving lots of opportunities to share the Gospel here, but not necessarily in proportion to learning and speaking Arabic. It seems that people are more comfortable having spiritual conversations in English or French. It is as if there is some “safety” to not using their native language to talk about these things. I continue to pray for hearts to be willing to go against the social pressures and accept it for themselves. Besides the Holy Spirit, this is exactly what drew me here–the majority religion, the challenges of the country, and the lack of Gospel fruit. I wanted to go to a place that people have forgotten but God hasn’t.
Kari,
Great blog and way to tie it to your Arabic learning. I fully understand the challenge of language learning and the grittiness it takes to get it done. You are right that small steps keep you moving forward and to celebrate the wins. Keep on keeping on. Enjoy the journey.
Thanks so much, Adam! Few people get it. It is one of the most humbling and humiliating experiences I have ever faced.
Hi, Kari. thank you for your posts. When you personalize the application of grit, it made me think as well of how I could be benefits from it personally. Well, if I may add, I could say that even if not yet fluently speaking that language, but you body language speaks the universal language of Jesus love for others. Thanks again.
Noel, thank you so much for your encouragement. It is good to remember that language is only a small part of what is speaking to others.
Kari, thanks for your post. I love following how you are living our Christ’s call on your life. I appreciate that the principles in the book are certainly applicable. What spiritual practices help your form grit? How do these related to Duckworth’s work?
Thank you! That’s an excellent question, Graham. Maintaining a weekly Sabbath helps me remember that I need rest from my striving and practice. Sabbath, along with prayer journaling (which I do a lot of on my sabbath), helps me remember my purpose and hope in my calling.
Hi Kari! I thought about you and Elysse as I was reading about Grit – you both are great examples of people with grit from passion and perseverance.
I know that language learning is hard, but I admire you for doing it (again!) in order to fulfill the calling the Lord has given you. How do you encourage others who are struggling with language learning?