人生不設(shè)限·第二章 沒(méi)手沒(méi)腳，沒(méi)有限制

在行走人生和旅行各地的途中，我常常見(jiàn)證人類(lèi)心靈令人難以置信的力量。我確信世上有奇跡，但奇跡只會(huì)發(fā)生在抱持希望的人身上。什么是希望?希望是夢(mèng)想的開(kāi)端;希望為你的人生目的發(fā)聲，跟你說(shuō)話，告訴你無(wú)論外在環(huán)境發(fā)生什么，這些都不存在于你之內(nèi)?；蛟S發(fā)生在你身上的事是你無(wú)法控制的，但你可以決定如何回應(yīng)。

Time and again in my life and in my travels, I have witnessed the incredible power of the human spirit. I know for certain that miracles happen, but only for those who hang on to hope. What is hope? It is where dreams begin. It is the voice of your purpose. It speaks to you and reassures you that whatever happens to you doesn't live within you. You may not control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond.

馬丁·路德·金牧師說(shuō)過(guò)：“這世上每一件完成了的事，都是在希望中完成的。”我確信只要仍有呼吸，你就有希望。你我只是凡人，無(wú)法看到未來(lái)，而只是描繪出未來(lái)的各種可能。只有上帝知道每個(gè)人的生命將如何開(kāi)展，而希望就是它賜給我們的禮物——一扇看向未來(lái)的窗子。我們不知道上帝為每個(gè)人計(jì)劃的未來(lái)是什么，但請(qǐng)相信它，心存盼望，即使面臨最糟的狀況，也要盡全力為最好的結(jié)果做準(zhǔn)備。

The late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Everything that is done in the world is done by hope." I know for certain that as long as you draw breath, hope is available to you. You and I are only human. We cannot see into the future. Instead, we picture the possibilities for what might be. Only God knows how our lives will unfold. Hope is His gift to us, a window to look through. We cannot know the future He has planned for us. Trust in Him, keep hope in your heart, and even when faced with the worst, do whatever you can to prepare yourself for the best!

當(dāng)然，有時(shí)禱告會(huì)得不到回應(yīng)，即使祈禱、抱持信心，不幸的事還是會(huì)發(fā)生。就算是最好、心靈最澄澈的人，有時(shí)仍會(huì)經(jīng)歷可怕的失落與痛苦。陸續(xù)發(fā)生在海地、智利、墨西哥和中國(guó)的嚴(yán)重地震就提醒了我們，巨大的苦難與悲劇每天都在發(fā)生。數(shù)以萬(wàn)計(jì)的人在這些自然災(zāi)難中喪生，他們的希望與夢(mèng)想也隨之埋葬，很多母親失去了孩子，許多孩子失去了母親。

Sometimes, of course, our prayers are not answered. Tragedies occur despite our prayers and our faith. Even the best people with the purest of hearts sometimes suffer horrible losses and grief. The recent deadly earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Mexico, and China are just the most recent examples that tremendous suffering and tragedy occur every day. Thousands died in those natural catastrophes. Their hopes and dreams died with them. Many mothers lost their children. Many children lost their mothers.

如何在這樣的苦難之中依然抱持希望呢?當(dāng)我聽(tīng)到這些可怕的災(zāi)難時(shí)，有一種想法支撐著我：如此殘酷的悲劇往往會(huì)觸動(dòng)人類(lèi)驚人的關(guān)愛(ài)之心。當(dāng)你正在懷疑為何在這些無(wú)意義的苦難中，還能心存盼望時(shí)，盼望就化作龐大的志愿者團(tuán)隊(duì)出現(xiàn)了——學(xué)生、醫(yī)生、工程師，以及許多救難人員和重建者涌入災(zāi)區(qū)，全力貢獻(xiàn)所長(zhǎng)以幫助幸存者。

How do you sustain hope amid such suffering? One thing that sustains me when I hear of these great calamities is the fact that they always trigger incredible caring from other human beings. Just when you wonder why, amid such senseless suffering, people would still have hope, hundreds of selfless volunteers pour into those regions. Students, doctors, engineers, and other rescuers and rebuilders give of themselves and their talents to help those who have survived.

即使在最糟糕的時(shí)刻，依然會(huì)出現(xiàn)希望，證明上帝的存在。跟我遇到的許多人比起來(lái)，我個(gè)人所遭遇的苦難實(shí)在小得多，但我也曾經(jīng)因?yàn)槭磹?ài)而悲傷。盡管我們家族、教會(huì)與社區(qū)所有虔誠(chéng)的基督徒都真誠(chéng)地禱告，我的堂哥羅伊還是在27歲時(shí)死于癌癥。與你如此親近的人離世，讓人心碎，也難以理解為何會(huì)發(fā)生這種事，這就是心存盼望對(duì)我很重要的原因。你知道，我的盼望已超越地上生命，終極的盼望在天堂。篤信耶穌基督的羅伊此刻與耶穌同在天堂，而且不再受苦——這樣的盼望大大撫慰了所有家人的心。

Hope appears even in the worst of times to give us proof of God's presence. My own suffering seems so slight in comparison to the trials endured by so many people I've met, but I've also grieved the loss of a loved one. Our family lost my cousin Roy to cancer at the age of twenty-seven, despite the fervent prayers of all the devout Christians in our family, church, and community. Losing someone so close to you is heartbreaking and difficult to understand, which is why having hope is so important to me. You see, my hope extends beyond our worldly existence. The ultimate hope is in heaven. My family takes no little consolation in the hope that my cousin, who believed in Jesus Christ, is in heaven with Him and suffering no more.

即使面對(duì)的惡劣狀況似乎已超過(guò)個(gè)人能力，但上帝知道我們能承受多少。我相信地上生命只是短暫的，是要為永生做準(zhǔn)備;無(wú)論現(xiàn)在的人生是好是壞，天堂的承諾都在等著我們。在最困難的時(shí)光里，我總希望上帝會(huì)賜給我力量，以承受這些磨難與心痛;我相信好日子就在前方，如果不是在地上，那肯定在天堂。

Even in the worst situations that seem beyond our capacities, God knows how much our hearts can bear. I hold on to the belief that our life here is temporary, as we are being prepared for eternity. Whether our lives here are good or bad, the promise of heaven awaits. I always have hope in the most difficult times that God will give me the strength to endure the challenges and the heartache and that better days await, if not on this earth then for certain in heaven.

在禱告未得應(yīng)允時(shí)，我有個(gè)很棒的方法可以讓自己繼續(xù)挺住，那就是走出去接觸其他人。如果你的痛苦是個(gè)負(fù)擔(dān)，就去減輕別人的痛苦，帶給他們希望，鼓勵(lì)他們，讓他們因?yàn)橹雷约翰⒉皇枪陋?dú)地承受苦難而得到安慰。當(dāng)你需要安慰時(shí)，給別人安慰;當(dāng)你需要友誼時(shí)，成為他人的朋友;在你最需要希望時(shí)，給人盼望。

One of the best ways I've found for holding on even when our prayers are not answered is to reach out to others. If your suffering is a burden, reach out to ease that of someone else and bring hope to them. Lift them up so that they will be comforted with the knowledge that they are not alone in their suffering. Offer compassion when you need it. Be a friend when you need friendship. Give hope when you most need it.

我還年輕，不想假裝自己無(wú)所不知，但我愈來(lái)愈了解，當(dāng)絕望蔓延、當(dāng)我們的禱告沒(méi)有得到回應(yīng)、當(dāng)我們最深的恐懼成真時(shí)，救贖的力量就在我們和周遭人的關(guān)系之中，也在我們與上帝的關(guān)系，以及我們對(duì)他的愛(ài)與智慧的信任里(對(duì)我和基督徒來(lái)說(shuō)更是如此)。

I am young and I don't pretend to have all the answers, but more and more I realize that in those times when hopelessness seems to prevail, when our prayers go unanswered, and when our worst fears are realized, our salvation lies in our relationships with those around us and, especially for me and fellow Christians, in our relationship with God and our trust in His love and wisdom.