seven cases, one confusing language, one (or more) deeper meaning

so, as i've been learning slovak, i have learned of seven "cases" in slovak. these are different forms that nouns take depending on their relationship/position in the sentence. for example, if i want to say that bob has a book, then "bob" stays the same (nominativ) but the book changes its ending because it is being affected by bob (akusativ). anyway, this is not to explain all the cases to you (since i only know the two right now), but to point out the implications of this. one big thing is that "jesus" is not simply ježiš, but can change depending on the relationship to the rest of the sentence.

while this makes learning the language quite a bit more difficult, i really like the implications of it. as i mentioned with jesus, nouns cannot simply be expressed in one way without concern for other parts of the sentence. nouns can only be understood in relationship to each other and to other parts of the sentence. this is reflective of our interconnectedness in this world. while (especially in the us) many would like to think that we are who we are no matter where we are/who we are with, that is simply untrue. we are constantly changing.

much of the time, i feel like the changes in me are the work of the holy spirit as i grow into myself, but the changes are also through my relationships to other people and all of god's creation (which can still be, and usually is, the work of the holy and creative spirit). when we change words in slovak depending on their relationship to others, it provides me with a reminder that we are connected and that we do, in fact, affect each other, for good or for bad. so, as i go out each day, i try to make a point of thinking about how i might affect others and how i can allow the spirit to work through me, rather than inhibiting its work.