Shadowing Practice: Reflection 263: God as Your Helmsman in the Storm - Learn English Speaking with Video
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This is Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy from My Catholic Life.
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Today's reflection is entitled, God as Your Helmsman in the Storm.
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Imagine being a small child on a small boat in the middle of the sea.
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A storm sets in and you cannot see land in any direction.
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You are tossed and turned in the waves as they cover the boat with each crash, and you wonder how you will survive.
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Now imagine that your dad is also on the boat with you.
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He tells you to sit and hold on and that all will be well.
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He is confident and in charge and shows no fear.
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The confidence that your father exudes calms you and you trust that he will keep you safe.
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This is an image of our lives.
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When we face a crisis, we must realize that we are but a child in the midst of the stormy sea in need of our merciful Lord.
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It would be foolish for a child to try to take charge of the boat.
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It would also be foolish for us to try to direct our own lives.
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We need the steady confidence of Jesus to put our hearts at rest.
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The Lord must be your helmsman whenever the waves begin to rise.
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Do not doubt His ability to handle everything in life.
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What do you do when the storms of life set in?
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Do you panic?
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Do you try to take control and handle things on your own?
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Or do you turn your eyes to the strength and confidence of our Lord and let Him take control of the situation?
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Turning to Jesus is not simply a matter of sitting back and doing nothing.
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Rather, turning to Him in abandon is an act of the greatest trust.
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That trust, when all seems chaotic and overwhelming,
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opens the door to His peace and keeps you safe and still no matter what comes your way.
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Reflect upon the way you handle difficulties in life,
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and make the conscious choice to turn to the divine helmsman to direct your life through the storm.
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Let us pray.
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Lord, I turn to you in confidence and choose to put my full trust in you.
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I know that you can handle all things and that your love and care will keep me safe.
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Increase my confidence in you, dear Lord, and help my heart to always remain at peace.
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Jesus, I trust in you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 31 sentences and 409 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:09. The speaker talks at a steady 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| divine adjective | /dɪˈvaɪn/ | Of or pertaining to a god. |
| foolish adjective | /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/ | Lacking good sense or judgement as a general trait; unwise; stupid. |
| pray verb | /pɹeɪ/ | To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc. |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| difficulty noun | /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ | The state of being difficult, or hard to do. |
| steady adjective | /ˈstɪdi/ | Firm in standing or position; not tottering or shaking; fixed; firm. |
| panic noun | /ˈpænɪk/ | Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare. |
| conscious adjective | /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/ | Alert, awake; with one's mental faculties active. |
| reflection noun | /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/ | The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected. |
| abandon verb | /əˈbæn.dən/ | To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions. |
| toss verb | /tɔs/ | To throw with an initial upward direction. |
| chaotic adjective | /keɪˈɑtɪk/ | Filled with chaos. |
| amidst | /aˈmɪdst/ | In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. |
| helmsman noun | /ˈhɛlmz.mən/ | A member of a ship's crew who is responsible for steering. |
| exude verb | /ɪɡˈzjuːd/ | To discharge through pores or incisions, as moisture or other liquid matter; to give out. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sit back verb | To recline while still in a seated position, with one's back on the frame of the seat. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is entitled · are tossed |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will survive · will be · will keep |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/, conscious /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/, reflection /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like divine, foolish, pray.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.