2021 02 16
作者 Article by Bonny Kwok
有一天, 在繁忙的工作中, 想去沖一杯咖啡, 為自己提提神, 遇著一位同事, 就寒暄一句「你好嗎?」正想回頭返回自己的辦公室時, 看見淚水竟然從她的臉上流下來。她曾擁有一個愛她的丈夫, 剛學行的女兒, 有趣的朋友,她的世界充滿著愛!就在九個月前, 她失去了丈夫, 現在要獨自照顧年幼的女兒、自己單親的媽媽、及面對沉重的經濟負擔, 每日臨睡前, 拖著疲乏的身心, 都會問自己能夠承擔多久...! 我們在交談時, 我內心非常之難過、強忍著淚, 在內心禱告著, 求神賜我聖靈的能力, 勇敢地去安慰及鼓勵她, 知道她是天主教徒, 就邀請她一同禱告去經歷神的平安與同在!
教會今年的主題是「復興與更新」, 當重溫經文時, 最深感受的是希伯來書 10 : 24
「又要彼此相顧,激發愛心,勉勵行善。」
這一段經文,使我回想當自己在生活上遇到挫折, 或要面對重要抉定的時候, 除了向神祈求平安及聖靈的帶領, 更會去尋求教會裏的兄姊支持和鼓勵。
我們不得不承認, 信靠上帝的人也有信心軟弱的時候, 在逆境中會失去盼望。使徒保羅在羅馬書 15 : 13 提醒我們 :「但願使人有盼望的神, 因信將諸般的喜樂平安充滿你們的心, 使你們藉着聖靈的能力大有盼望。」
彼此相顧是指雙方面互動的關係, 人在群體中都會渴求愛與被愛, 願意我們發自內心真誠的關心, 了解身邊人的需要,往往在付出的同時, 自己所得的會更多!讓我們藉著上帝的話語,互相勉勵, 強化主內的關係, 學習彼此相愛的心, 建立基督愛的群體。
On a busy workday, I wanted to make a cup of coffee to re-energize myself. I met a colleague in the kitchen and asked her, "How are you?". When I was about to return to my office, tears streamed down her face. Once upon a time, she had a husband who loved her, a daughter who was about to learn to walk, and lots of fun friends. Her world had been filled with love. Ever since she lost her husband nine months ago, she has been taking care of her young daughter alone and her single mother who lived alone, on top of her heavy financial burden. Every night, she was extremely exhausted both in her heart and body as she asked herself: how long she can take on all these burdens ... As she shared, I was very sad, holding my tears, praying in my heart, asking God to give me the power and courage from the Holy Spirit to comfort her and encourage her. As I knew that she is a Roman Catholic, I invited her to pray together to experience the peace and comfort from God.
The theme of St. E this year is "Revive, Restore and Renew." When I reflected on the scripture readings, I was most moved by Hebrews 10:24.
"And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds."
This passage reminds me that when I encounter challenges in my life or make an important decision, in addition to praying to God for peace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I also seek support and encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Christ.
We must admit that people who trust in God have times of weak faith and times where they lose hope in the face of adversity. Paul the Apostle reminded us in Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Caring for one another relies on a mutual relationship between two parties. We seek to both love and be loved. As we tend to the needs of the people around us, we do it with sincerity from our whole heart. Through this, we will realize that as we care for others, we too gain something in return. Let us be encouraged by God’s words, strengthen our relationship in Christ, learn to love one other, and build a community with Christ’s love.