I love Tuesday mornings. It is my morning that I gather with a group of sisters in Christ and share a devotion, some conversation, and prayer. This morning we were discussing a passage from our devotion that mentioned the common language of Christ. The question was…What does the common language of Christ mean to you?

Immediately my mind went to the recent Leading & Loving It Conference I had attended. This was my 5th year attending this awesome conference and as I have every year, I learned so much from this year’s presentations.

So how does that tie in with the common language of Christ? Well, to me, it goes a little something like this…

We gather, over 900 strong. We represent different cities, states, and even countries. We come from numerous denominations and all have varying roles within our churches and ministries. Some of us are outspoken and a little sassy, while others of us are on the quieter side, doing more watching than participating. Some of us are loud, rambunctious worshippers, while others are mellow in their praises. Each one of us gathered for that two day event heard, thought, and retained something just a little bit different than the sisters sitting on either side of us.

Despite the differences in our personalities, our race, our denominations, and our hometowns and countries of origin, it was so apparent that the common language of Christ was everywhere. I saw it through the hugs, smiles, and laughter. It was evident through the moments of reconnection of friendships made at past events, and new connections that were being made in those very moments. It raised its voice loud and strong through the worship that filled the room with all voices singing in unison. Flowing tears were more evidence of this language, as were the voices of our speakers, speaking into our hearts and souls.

The common language of Christ surrounded us during that conference…showing its many components: friendship, joy, empathy, grace, unity, and connection. And above all of these, the evidence was there…flowing into each and every heart through the most common denominator in the language of Christ…love. Love for Jesus. Love for the opportunity we were experiencing. Love for each other.