『神有正面答案』“God has a positive answer.”

【編輯室】

~^.^~~☆~^.^~~☆~^.^~~☆★★ ~^.^~~☆ ☆~^.^~~☆.^~~

在一場船難中，唯一的生存者，

The only survivor of a shipwreck

隨著潮水，漂流到了一座無人島上。

was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.

他天天激動地祈禱神，救他能夠早日離開那裡，回到家鄉。

He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him,

他還每天注視著海上有否可搭救他的人，

and every day he scanned the horizon for help,

但除了汪洋一片，什麼也沒有。

but none seemed forthcoming.

後來，他決定用那片帶他到小島的木頭造一個簡陋的小木屋

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut

以保護他在這險惡的環境中生存，

out of driftwood to protect him from the elements,

並且保存他所有剩下的東西。

and to store his few possessions.

但有一天，在他捕完食物後，準備回小屋時，

But then one day, after scavenging for food,

突然發現他的小屋竟然陷在熊熊烈火之中，

he arrived home to find his little hut in flames,

大火引起的濃煙不斷向天上竄。

the smoke rolling up to the sky.

最悲慘的是：他所有的一切東西，通通化為烏有了。

The worst had happened; everything was lost.

悲痛的他，氣憤的對天吶喊著：

He was stunned with grief and anger.

「神啊！你怎麼可以這樣對待我！」頓時，淚流滿面。

“God, how could you do this to me!” he cried.

第二天一早，

Early the next day, however,

他被一艘正靠近小島的船隻的鳴笛聲所吵醒。

he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.

是的，有人來救他了。

It had come to rescue him.

到了船上時，他問那些船員說：「你們怎麼知道我在這裡？」

“How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers.

「因為我們看到了信號般的濃煙。」他們回答說。

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

人在碰到困難時，很容易會沮喪。

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad.

不過，無論受到折磨或者痛苦，都不用因此失去信心，

But we shouldn’t lose heart,

因為上帝一直在我們心裡面做著奇妙的工作。

because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

記著：當下一次你的小木屋著火時，

Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground

那可能只是上帝美妙恩典的表徵而已。

it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

在所有我們所認為負面的事情，

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves,

上帝都有正面的答案。

God has a positive answer.