今天是为期三天的教会青少年冬令营的最后一天,也是美加东部教会冬季一周成全训练的最后一堂。载着一车的孩子送去营地的途中,大雪仍在不停地飘落,道路状况恶劣,想像着还要继续开车几十公里去赶训练,心里直打退堂鼓。心虚地对孩子们说我还是打道回府吧,寒冷的天躲在温暖的家乃是最美的享受。殊不知儿女们异口同声的说:"No, Mom! You should go. 你是教会服事的姊姊,要有榜样。难道我们那些在美国的青少年,也因为天气不好而取消来多伦多参加冬令营的计划吗?"孩子们的话,让我既感动又感恩。感动是因为神把许多的弟兄姊妹圣徒,如云彩一般围绕在我们身边,当我们软弱时就能得到扶持和帮助,使我们重新得力站立。感恩是因为神的怜悯,赐予我如此爱主服事主的孩子们,使我们全家一起同心侍奉神,在地上为主作见证。
神的作为是何等奇妙,祂向着我们的心是何等慈爱。在我们信心软弱摇摆时,神就调动万有,在一切所经历的事上向我们显现,使我们信心坚固。上周末在教会意外地见到一家圣徒来访,使我惊喜,同时也让我更敬畏神。他们是十年前来我们教会家庭聚会的福音朋友,移民不久,在四处探访寻找教会,与我们相处聚会后不久,因工作居住等原因离开,当时我们曾经因为他们没有得救而遗憾。孰不知,神的意念远超我们的所思所想。这十年中,这对夫妇不仅在外地得救信主,更回到了本市参与了当地教会的尽职服事,全家事奉神。正如圣经中所示:「我栽种了,亚波罗浇灌了,惟有神叫他生长。」(林前3:6)神的应许不会落空,祂是有计划,有旨意,有恩慈的神。我们在奉差遣传福音,劝导人悔改认罪得救信主时,自己本身要对主有足够的信心,相信福音是神的大能,是基督在我们身上的显出。所以我们要尽心尽力地做好自己的本份,无论是主日讲道,还是各项服事,我们都是向着神做的,但最终结果如何乃在那叫人生长的神。I do the best, God do the rest。这是我们信心稳固的功课,也是我们一生追求的目标。
曾经多次听过一首歌,「if tomorrow is the last day」,是的,如果明天我将离去,我能否像红叶落日一般,在生命的旅途中,完成主所交托给我的,毫无缺憾,倾尽所有,直到来到主的面前,交我所该交的帐,接受主的审判或奖赏吗? 主啊,求你保守我,还要保守直到那日,使我在地上的日子,行事为人能蒙你悦纳。深愿我最终也能像使徒保罗所言:「那美好的仗我已经打过了,当跑的路我已经跑尽了,所信的道我已经守住了。从此以后,有公义的冠冕为我存留,就是按着公义审判的主到了那日要赐给我的;不但赐给我,也赐给凡爱慕他显现的人。」(提后4:7)
You are our first child
and only daughter in our family. The moment you came into our lives, our whole
world turned upside down. You were such a beautiful, eye-catching, and
doll-like baby girl. After my first sight of you, I totally forgot about the
words I said to your daddy when I married him; that we only wanted be a DINK
family (double income no kids). You were just an angel sent by God. You won your
father’s heart over completely right after your birth. Your father’s entire
being was focused on you and sometimes it seemed like you were the main driving
force behind his study and work in Canada. Between our three kids, you were the
only one that daddy patiently fed and for whom he changed diapers. Daddy helped
you take your first step and tried his best to stay awake during your bed time
stories. Not to mention every ballet lesson, skating lesson, swimming lesson, Kumon
lesson… Every Friday and Saturday, you had your countless music lessons at the Young
Artistic Performing Academy of the Royal Conservatory Music downtown – your
daddy was always there with you. He went
with you to all of your piano competitions, local ones, provincial ones, and
even the national, international ones. He
was so proud of you and he even had a dream that eventually he would rest in his
beloved daughter's piano playing.
The daughter is a
treasure in the eyes of her father, the favorite of the three. Since your
childhood, your father protected you very much (sometimes you interpreted it as
over protection). As a first generation immigrant from mainland China, we did
not have savings in our bank accounts, but the children's education costs were
good enough to afford a house. In two
decades, he did not want to scold you that were why he could not endure anyone
to verbally insult you or physically hurt you. You are a princess in his heart.
Whenever you laugh, he will be happy; your cry, he will be in pain. He understood
that in the future, he would not be able to keep protecting you. He decided to
bring you to the family of God, so that you would know the Lord, love the Lord,
and serve the Lord. Seeing you grow in the name of Lord, your father is so
pleased and thankful. Every day, we pray the Lord Jesus Christ that our God will
keep you in His love, not into temptation, away from danger. Live your whole
life in the house of Jehovah forever.