[靈修筆記] 拒絕相信?

我若行了、你們縱然不信我、也當信這些事.叫你們又知道、又明白、父在我裏面、我也在父裏面。
約翰福音10:38

約翰福音好幾章都說到耶穌試著像眾人表明自己的身分卻總之遭到拒絕。看了覺得心痛之外,也思考著如果我是當時的人,我真的能夠接受相信耶穌嗎?因為祂的許多話語是很多衝擊性的,主要是要讓人脫離罪惡和神恢復關係。但是許多人不但拒絕,甚至自以為義的批評他。「神阻擋驕傲的人、賜恩給謙卑的人。」唯有能夠謙卑的心,才能夠領受天上的恩典。

這幾天也一直想到,人真的很自我中心,覺得天錯地錯就是不是我的錯。若總是拒絕謙卑下來,真的無法明白,神讓我們遭遇一些事,不是要處罰我們,而是要讓我們能夠從中看見我們所需要改進學習的。但若反而怪罪於 神,那就永遠無法成長。

以前國中(?)所學的麥克阿瑟為子祈禱文,也是很好的提醒:

(李順長 譯)

主啊!求你塑造我的兒子,
使他夠堅強到能認識自己的軟弱;
夠勇敢到能面對懼怕;
在誠實的失敗中,毫不氣餒;
在勝利中,仍保持謙遜溫和。

懇求塑造我的兒子,
不至空有幻想而缺乏行動;
引導他認識你,同時又知道,
認識自己乃是真知識的基石。

我祈禱,
願你引導他不求安逸、舒適,
相反的,經過壓力、艱難和挑戰,
學習在風暴中挺身站立,
學會憐恤那些在重壓之下失敗的人。

求你塑造我的兒子,
心地清潔,
目標遠大;
使他在指揮別人之前,
先懂得駕馭自己;
永不忘記過去的教訓,
又能伸展入未來的理想。

當他擁有以上的一切,
我還要禱求,賜他足夠的幽默感,
使他能認真嚴肅,
卻不致過分苛求自己。

懇求賜他謙卑,
使他永遠記牢,
真偉大中的平凡,
真智慧中的開明,
真勇力中的溫柔。

如此,我這作父親的,
才敢低聲說:「我沒有虛度此生。」

“Build me a son, O Lord,
who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;
one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son
whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
a son who will know Thee…… and that
to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray,
not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;
here let him learn compassion for those that fail.

Build me a son
whose heart will be clear,
whose goal will be high,
a son who will master himself
before he seeks to master other men;
one who will reach into the future,
yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his,
add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor,
so that he may always be serious,
yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility,
so that he may always remember
the simplicity of true greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom
and the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father will dare to
whisper, “I have not lived in vain.'”

-General Douglas MacArthur

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