2007/11/30

面對困難

「因為多有智慧,就多有愁煩;加增知識的,就加增憂傷。」(傳一18節)
神啊,當我不斷為難擔的苦難找尋答案時,我清楚發現世界對這個問題沒有令人滿意的解答。我信靠你,對你懷著信。

「時候到了,人子被賣在罪人手裡了;起來!我們走吧。」(太二十六45-46節)

首先,我們必須接受現實,承認生命必有苦難這個事實。我們不能逃避這個事實,否認它就是否認現實。承認問題並不代表缺乏信心。你無須老想著它,但在你可以應付它前,你必須先承認它。要記著,你必須先願意面對現實,才能夠期望克服它。神啊,求你給我勇氣面對事情,而不是逃避它們。求你幫助我開放和誠實。天父,我現在仰望你幫助我在每天都這樣實踐。

「你們以為這些加利利人比眾加利利人更有罪,所以受這害嗎?」(路十三2節)

苦難是罪的結果嗎?我們處理苦難的第二點,是承認並非所有苦難都是因為個人的罪。當然,有些苦難是因為罪,但不是所有苦難都是出於這個原因。違反神的道德法則的人,如果遇到懲罰便不要感到驚訝。天父,知道受苦並非總是個人的罪的結果,令我感到釋然。我願意為我面對的困難負起自己要負的責任,但求你幫助我不要受虛假的罪疚感煩擾,讓我保持平衡。

2007/11/27

剛強、仁愛、謹守的心

「因為神賜給我們,不是膽怯的心,乃是剛強、仁愛、謹守的心。」(提摩太後書1:7)

「你出去與仇敵爭戰的時候,看見馬匹、車輛,並有比你多的人民,不要怕他們,因為領你出埃及地的耶和華─你神與你同在。你們將要上陣的時候,祭司要到百姓面前宣告說:以色列人哪,你們當聽,你們今日將要與仇敵爭戰,不要膽怯,不要懼怕戰兢,也不要因他們驚恐;因為耶和華─你們的神與你們同去,要為你們與仇敵爭戰,拯救你們。官長也要對百姓宣告說:誰建造房屋,尚未奉獻,他可以回家去,恐怕他陣亡,別人去奉獻。誰種葡萄園,尚未用所結的果子,他可以回家去,恐怕他陣亡,別人去用。誰聘定了妻,尚未迎娶,他可以回家去,恐怕他陣亡,別人去娶。官長又要對百姓宣告說:誰懼怕膽怯,他可以回家去,恐怕他弟兄的心消化,和他一樣。」(申命記20:1-8)

如果我們有思慮,有擔心,那只會失敗,更可會累人累己


「你們當剛強壯膽,不要害怕,也不要畏懼他們,因為耶和華─你的神和你同去。他必不撇下你,也不丟棄你。」(申命記31:6)

「我父把羊賜給我,他比萬有都大,誰也不能從我父手裡把他們奪去。」(約翰福音10:29)

「你們務要警醒,在真道上站立得穩,要作大丈夫,要剛強。」(哥林多前書16:13)

Love can heal anything

2007/11/26

Life is full of choices

Life is full of choices

翻譯自《心靈雞湯》

生活充滿選擇

翻譯:穎

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I'd be twins!" He was a natural motivator.

邁克爾是那種讓人真想恨一恨的人。他總是樂呵呵的,總是說些積極向上的話。如果有人問他近況如何,他會回答,"如果我還能再好,那我就是雙胞胎了!"他是個天生的積極者。


If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don' t get it. You can' t be positive all the time. How do you do it?"

如果某天有個雇員過得不順心,邁克爾會告訴他怎樣從積極的一面來看待眼前的狀況。由於他的處世風格使我產生了好奇,有一天我問邁克爾,"我不明白。你不可能每時每刻積極樂觀。你是怎麼做到的?"

Michael replied, each morning I wake up and say to myself 'Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

邁克爾答道,每天早晨我醒來,我就問自己,"邁克,你今天又兩個選擇。你可以選擇好情緒和壞情緒。"我選擇好心情。每當有壞事發生,我可以選擇成為一個受害者或者選擇從中學習。我選擇從中學習。每當有人向我抱怨,我可以選擇接受他們的抱怨或者我可以指出生活的積極一面。我選擇生活的積極的那一面。

"Yeah, right. It isn't that easy." I protested.

"是的,沒錯。那可沒那麼容易。"我表示異議。

"Yes it is, " Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line is: It's your choice how you live life. " I reflected on what Michael said.

"其實真的很容易,"邁克爾說,"生活的充滿了選擇。當你拋開所有枝節,每一個處境都是一次選擇。你選擇如何應對種種情況。你選擇他人如何影響你的情緒由。你選擇情緒好或不好。說到底:如何生活由你自己選擇。

Soon thereafter, I left the big enterprise that I had worked in for years to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often though about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a communications tower.

那以後不久,我離開了工作數年的大企業去創辦自己的公司。我們失去了聯絡,但每當我對生活進行選擇,而非對它做出回應時,我時常想起他。幾年後,我聽說邁克爾遭遇了一場嚴重事故,從一座通訊大樓的60英尺高處掉了下來。

After l8 hours of surgery, and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

在經歷了18小時的手術和幾周的特別護理之後,邁克爾出院了,背部裝有金屬桿。我在事故發生約6個月後見到了邁克爾。當我問他情況如何,他答道,"如果我還能再好,那我就成雙胞胎了。想看看我的傷疤嗎?"我拒絕看他的傷,但我詢問了他在事故發生之後的想法。

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well being of my soon-to-born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "... the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the operation room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, l read 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me" said Michael. "She asked me if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled", 'Gravity'" Over their laughter, I told them, 'I'm choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."

"我想到的第一件事是我那即將出世的女兒的幸福生活,"邁克爾答道,"當時我躺在地上,記得我自己有兩種選擇:我可以選擇活下來或者死去。我選擇活下來。""你難道不害怕嗎?你失去知覺了嗎?"我問道。邁克爾繼續說:"。。。護理人員很棒。他們不停地告訴我我會好起來的。但當他們把我推進手術室,我看到醫生和護士臉上的表情時,我真的嚇壞了。在他們眼中,我讀出了"他是個死人"這句話。我知道我必須採取行動。""你採取了什麼行動?"我問。"她問我是否對什麼藥物過敏。‘是的,'我說。醫生和護士停下了手中的活兒等待我的回答。我深吸一口氣大聲說,‘地心引力'"他們笑聲未了,我告訴他們,‘我選擇活下去。請把我當作活人而不是死人來實施手術。'"。

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
I 1eamed from him that every day we have a choice to live fully. Attitude is everything.

邁克爾活了下來,多虧了醫生的醫術,但也要歸功於他的令人驚嘆的態度。
我從他身上學到了我們都有機會選擇充實的活著。態度決定了一切。