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Had I remembered this lesson, I probably would have handled my insecurity differently that morning in the gym. Instead of sitting in silence and stewing in my emotions, I should have spoken up and interacted with the men who walked into the locker room. Not to challenge them and justify myself, but to hold out my hand and say “Ya’at’eeh” and then to introduce myself and begin to get to know them. (Ya’at’eeh (yah-aat-eh) is a Navajo greeting always accompanied with a hand shake.) It means, ‘I’m doing well,’ or, more appropriately in this context, ‘To me, this is good.’
This is not the final solution. It is a step. It is only an entry point into a much larger process and a much bigger dialog. But we have to start somewhere. Our world, our country, our churches and our people are divided. There are generations worth of injustice, shame, hurt and anguish that drives fear into our hearts and fuels our isolation. And we are frequently just sitting in silence and stewing in our insecurities. I am not offering a solution, but rather a step. Can we stand up, put aside our insecurities, look each other in the eye, extend our hands and say, “Ya’at’eeh”?
Mark Charles lives with his family on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. He is a public speaker, writer, minister, and computer programmer, who consults with organizations on Native American issues. Read more from Mark at www.wirelesshogan.blogspot.com.
This article was excerpted from When I Grow Up I Want to Be A Shepherd Feb. 9, 2009 and Ya'at'eeh, March 3, 2009. http://www.calvin.edu/worship/wcom/indig/charles/index.php
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When it rains at our hogan we literally cannot go anywhere; so we sit. We read books, we pray, we spend time as a family. We are still and in that stillness we remember God. When it rains at our hogan we can hear God inviting us, saying, “Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Be still and know that I am God.” But if our road were paved we probably would not hear God’s voice in this way, for the weather would have very little impact on our lives. Even during the rain and snow we could still get in our truck and do what we needed. We could go where we wanted and do as we pleased. We would feel safe and secure thinking God was with us, because look, He has blessed us, the road is paved. We can go about our business. We would never realize that with the pitter patter of the falling rain God was faintly whispering, “Wait, don’t go! Be still and know that I am God.”
Excerpted from Paved Roads by Mark Charles
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