人生不设限·负责点醒你的人生向导

“人生向导”式的关系常常让人不太好过。“向导”会点醒你，甚至斥责你，但他们非常关心你，关心到让你真正去思考自己在做些什么、要往哪里去、为什么你会在这里、下一步又是什么。你会希望生命中有这样的人。

These "life guide" relationships are not always easy going. Your "guides" will give you a reality check or even a kick in the pants. But they care enough to make you really think about what you are doing, where you are going, why you are in the game, and what comes next. You want people like that in your life.

当我想要成为一名演说家，想要去世界各地鼓励人们拥有信仰时，我跟一些亲近的朋友和家人谈到了这个决定。有些人很担心，包括我的父母。他们担心我的健康能否负荷，还有，这个任务真的是上帝要我做的吗?

When I decided to become a public speaker and to encourage others to have faith, I shared the decision with my closest friends and family. Some were concerned, including my parents. The Apostolic Christian Church that I belong to has dispatched many missionaries over the years. They've built orphanages and helped many in need. When I told my parents that I wanted to speak about my faith to other denominations in churches around the world, they had misgivings about my health and concerns about whether this mission was truly what God wanted for me.

我仔细听他们说些什么，因为我知道他们希望我成功。当你的“梦幻团队”针对你的计划提供意见时，你也该好好听一听，并仔细思考他们的建议，特别是如果你希望他们继续帮助你成功的话。你不一定要接受这些意见，但要持敬重的态度，因为这些人是关心你，才会说出你可能觉得不中听的话。

I listened to them because I knew they wanted me to be successful. You should do the same when your own Dream Team offers opinions about your plans, especially if you want them to remain invested in your success. Honor them and give careful thought to their advice and guidance. You don't have to accept it, but respect that they care enough to tell you even what you may not want to hear.

我尊重爸爸、妈妈的忧虑，但我确实感受到上帝要我成为一个传扬福音的人。于是我的使命就是顺从爸爸、妈妈，保持耐心，并且祈祷有一天他们也能跟我有同样的感觉。

I respected my parents' concerns, but I felt God was calling me to be an evangelist. My mission then was to be obedient and patient and pray that they'd come to feel the same way. By God's grace, not only my parents but also the church accepted my calling. Its leaders stood behind me and ordained me as the church's fi rst Minister of Evangelism.

你遇到的每个人不保证都想帮你，有些人甚至会泄你的气，虽然他们的忧虑或许有最好的出发点和理由。我爸爸、妈妈的每个恐惧都很合理，但我祈祷他们的信心能够胜过种种忧虑。

There are no promises or guarantees that everyone you meet will want to help you. Some may even try to discourage you. They may have the best intentions and good reason to be worried. None of my parents' fears were irrational, but I prayed that their faith would overcome all those concerns.

事后来看，你决定走自己的路可能是错的，也可能是对的，但是到头来，“是对的”并没有那么重要。父母和已成年的儿女常常必须留同存异，相互谅解彼此对歧见的处理方式，然后继续往前走。而你和“梦幻团队”其他成员之间也应该如此。

Parents and their grown children often must agree to disagree and move on. The same holds true with other members of your Dream Team. You may be proven wrong when you go your own way. You may be proven right. In the end, being right isn't what's important.

我很感谢爸爸、妈妈和我总能尊重彼此的主张和决定。因着上帝的恩典，我们的关系经得起考验，而且因为我们之间有着深刻的爱和互重，所以变得比以往更亲近。如果爸爸、妈妈和我不曾敞开心胸畅谈彼此的感受，或许结果不会像现在这样美好。

I am so thankful that my parents and I can respect each other's opinions and decisions. By God's grace, our relationship withstood a test, and we emerged even closer than before because of our deep love and mutual respect. If we had not talked openly about our feelings, the outcome might not have been such a happy one.

你不应该把人际关系视为理所当然，尤其是跟家人的关系更需要珍惜。美好的关系带来的回报，将持续一生之久。

You should never take relationships for granted, especially those with your closest family members. The rewards last a lifetime.

现在，请花一些时间评估你的人际关系能力、人际关系品质，以及你投入了些什么到你的关系之中。你值得信赖吗?你信任身边的人吗?你是否能吸引人来帮助你成功?你尊敬这些人吗?在各种人际关系中，你投入的和你拿走的一样多吗?

Take time now to evaluate your people skills, the quality of your relationships, and what you put into them. Are you trustworthy? Do you trust those closest to you? Are you attracting people willing to invest in your success? Are you honoring them? Are you putting into the relationship as much as you are taking out?

每当我享受与家人的相聚时，我了解到自己就是为这样的时刻而活。我希望可以说服家人相信圣地亚哥的海滩比澳大利亚好，这样他们就会愿意来美国，我就能把他们留在身边了。把握你所爱的人，抓得愈近愈好、愈久愈好。

Each time I'm laughing and enjoying my family, I realize how much I live for such moments. My hope is to somehow convince them that San Diego beaches are better than Australian beaches so that I can always have them near. Hold your loved ones as close as you can, as long as you can.

人际关系的品质大大影响到你生命的品质，所以要珍惜身边的人，不要把他们视为理所当然。《圣经》上说：“两个人总比一个人好，因为两人劳碌同得美好的效果。若是跌倒，这人可以扶起他的同伴;若是孤身跌倒，没有别人扶起他来，这人就有祸了。”

The quality of your relationships has a huge impact on the quality of your life, so please treat them as precious. Don't take them for granted. The Bible says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"