Petrified

A complete calamity hit my life about 1:45 on Monday afternoon: I was called on to read in Greek class. I felt like this artwork pictured to the left. Now I know this sounds really silly. You might ask:“Haven’t you been studying Greek for the last 8 months? Don’t you at least have some of the basic principles of pronunciation under you yet?” Well, even though taking Greek has been a large part of my study time this year, I have to admit, I still don’t have a clue what I am doing when itcomes to speaking Greek. I can write it ok, and have learned to read it just fine, but speaking? Well, you don’t want to see me try. I get English sounds for letters easily confused with Greek sounds that it is a disaster in the making. I am usually pretty talkative in class, but not in Greek out offear that I will be called upon to read. Usually, my mute strategy works well,but this was not the case this week . . .

Monday afternoon was especially traumatic considering how long the verse in Luke 7 was that I was asked to read and how long I had been away from the class since Spring Break. Picture the scene: “Elizabeth, will you read verse 36?”

I’m thinking: What? Me? I have to read now? Holy Cow, NO, I don’t want to read. Do I have to?

So, under my breathe I utter to the class: “Well, now this will be interesting.” Knowing fully well that I am about to destroy the language sitting right in front of me in my Bible.

I’ve been called on a couple times before, and have managed to get at least some of the sentence out in a fluid fashion but not this time! As I began reading, it became apparent to me and everyone in the room that I needed the remedial course in speaking Greek. Kavin, my professor, actually stopped me mid-sentence to say, “Why don’t we read together. You say a word and I’ll say a word? So, we read together the last lines of the verse." How humiliating! It was like going back to the 4th grade when I also hated being called on to read in class. I didn’t think my reading out loud skills were particularly good at that time, so I squirmed in my seat regularly at just the thought of being called on by Mrs. Coffman each day in Language Arts. Thank goodness, I got over that phase of my life and don’t mind reading English out loud. It is my job now to weekly stand in frontof large audiences of people and read something. And, I do enjoy this.

(Minus my sometimes slip ups such as I made two Sundays ago while preaching at Calvary Baptist on the topic of gluttony. I said: "I ate myself" instead of "I thought to myself"... how that happened, I'm not sure! )

Oh, but Greek is a much sadder story. So, how relived I was to be done with Luke 7:36 on Monday! It was the longest minute on the spot I’d had in a really long time. I breathed some relief but it was short lived. I knew that I would have to walk into the same classroom again on Wednesday (I am happy to report that I wasn't called on that day; praise the Lord) and for several more days to come being subjected to the possibility of being asked to read all over again. Needless to say, after Monday, I’m petrified of Greek class.

Sitting here writing this makes me fearful just thinking about it. Thank God graduation is SOON!