2021 06 15
Article by Carol Shih
與神與人同行
由上月籌備、宣傳至「同行者計劃」開始，至今有一個多月，它除了與人同行外，更重要是藉着閱讀材料、彼此的分享和提醒，一起發現上帝與我們同行。「兩個人總比一個人好，他們勞碌同得美好的報償。若是跌倒，這人可以扶起他的同伴；倘若孤身跌倒，沒有別人扶起他來，這人就有禍了。」(傳道書4:9-10)
經歷15年多在主裏的同行，感受到自己的同行者不單是同伴，兩人一起閱讀和分享，可以互相推動去發掘神話語裏的亮光，發現祂在向自己講說話：她的說話提醒我所察覺不到的，我的感受也讓她對經文有另一個睇法，這樣大家一起發掘，遠比一個人看到的更多。另外，在人生裏有潛伏已久的傷痕，也可能有突如其來的衝擊，兩人同行，一起經歷高低起跌，互相扶持，大家成為彼此信仰路上的手杖給予依傍，不致讓自己感到孤單無助。
當兩個人一起分享經歷，也是分享彼此的生命。透過讀物裏神的說話，讓我們回首過去，看到原生家庭的價值觀、父母的關係、童年的教育、成長中的遭遇怎樣塑造了今天的自己，也影響了今天的自己。在同行者的陪同下，我們可以一步步按着神給我們的亮光，讓過去有一天成為對自己的祝福，對身邊人的祝福。我們可以按自己的境況展望未來，也可以因着主的話給我們的盼望，對將來的自己期盼更美好的事，並相信神對我們的計劃比我們所想、所求的更好。
這些分享幫助我們慢慢地與過去的自己、現在的自己和將來的自己對話。當中不單是發自內心的反省，不單是同行者給自己的愛心回應，更是神藉人、事和讀物向我們說話；可以是幫助自己發掘恩賜，推動自己去面對難題，解答自己對信仰的問題，也可能是指出自己的盲點和要注意的地方，甚至是回應祂給自己的召命。因此，這同行者的關係是與神與人的同行。
這些年裏，我深受同行的益處，尤其在疫情下，我和同行者更覺得要互相支援。希望你們能同樣得益，一起聆聴上帝的說話，知道上帝在你們信仰路上的足跡。主祝佑你們。
Walk with God and Companion
It has been more than a month since the preparation and promotion of the Companionship project. In addition to walking with people, it is more important to discover that God is walking with us through reading, sharing and reminding each other.
‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) In my more than 15 years of companionship, my companion and I are not only companions of each other. The reading and sharing encourage us to discover the light in God’s Word together and how He speaks to us. Her words reminded me of what I could not perceive, and my feelings also gave her another way of looking at the scriptures. It helps us explore more than one person can notice. Besides, we may carry our experience with pains or receive sudden shocks. Two people walking together and experiencing ups and downs can find the mutual support of each other like a rod to lean against in the faith journey. They will not feel alone and helpless.
When two people share, they also share each other's lives. Through the words of God in the reading, we may notice the past and how the values of the original family, the relationship between parents, upbringing, and childhood experiences shaped us and also affected us. The companionship allows us to identify and follow God’s light at our pace. It can let the past become a blessing to ourselves and those around us. For sure, we can look forward to the future according to our circumstances. We can also look forward to better things for ourselves in the future because of the hope given to us through God’s words. We can believe that God's plan for us is better than what we can imagine and ask.
The sharing helps us to connect our past, the present and the future slowly. It is not only a reflection from our heart and the response of the companion, but also God speaks to us through others and reading. It may help us discover spiritual gifts, push us to face challenges and answer to our beliefs. It may also point out our blind spots and raise out cautions. It may even ask us to respond to his call. Therefore, the companionship is relationship between the two persons and God.
Over the years, I have been profoundly benefiting from companionship. Especially during the pandemic, we support each other more. I hope that you can also find it beneficial. Your pairs can listen to God's words together and know God's footprints in your lives. God bless.