If there’s one thing that’s been emphasized over and over in my process of learning about languages (both here at SIL and through personal experience), it’s that the words we use are very significant. Even though I haven’t taken the advanced courses in subjects like “semantics and pragmatics,” I recognize that there is a reason I choose to use the words that I use.
In Second Language Acquisition class, we talk about words as tools for mediation – they are what we use to express mental concepts. In other words, what I mean by a word is really more significant than the word’s official definition.
Last October, I wrote a blog post about the idea of productivity. This topic came to mind again this morning as I was thinking through all I had to do today – all the while reading and re-reading John 15 about bearing fruit by abiding in Christ. I remembered that I need to redefine my conception of productivity. Here’s an excerpt from last October:
I think that sometimes we have the wrong perspective on what is “productive.” If I think about that word, my chain of thought might go something like this… “Productive… Produce (verb)… Produce (noun)… Fruit…” So that’s what being productive is. Bearing fruit.
I must have a reason that I think about being productive a lot more than I think about being fruitful. Coming back to personal definitions and their significance, I think I would define productivity as checking things off my list. Fruitfulness, on the other hand, has more to do with something that will refresh others and be of lasting significance.
There are days I don’t feel productive but I know I’m fruitful. There are days I feel very productive but I can look back and see very little lasting significance in my productivity.
I want to be “…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:11). I want to abide in Him and in that way bear much fruit (John 15:5).