人生不设限·第二章 没手没脚，没有限制

在行走人生和旅行各地的途中，我常常见证人类心灵令人难以置信的力量。我确信世上有奇迹，但奇迹只会发生在抱持希望的人身上。什么是希望?希望是梦想的开端;希望为你的人生目的发声，跟你说话，告诉你无论外在环境发生什么，这些都不存在于你之内。或许发生在你身上的事是你无法控制的，但你可以决定如何回应。

Time and again in my life and in my travels, I have witnessed the incredible power of the human spirit. I know for certain that miracles happen, but only for those who hang on to hope. What is hope? It is where dreams begin. It is the voice of your purpose. It speaks to you and reassures you that whatever happens to you doesn't live within you. You may not control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond.

马丁·路德·金牧师说过：“这世上每一件完成了的事，都是在希望中完成的。”我确信只要仍有呼吸，你就有希望。你我只是凡人，无法看到未来，而只是描绘出未来的各种可能。只有上帝知道每个人的生命将如何开展，而希望就是它赐给我们的礼物——一扇看向未来的窗子。我们不知道上帝为每个人计划的未来是什么，但请相信它，心存盼望，即使面临最糟的状况，也要尽全力为最好的结果做准备。

The late Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Everything that is done in the world is done by hope." I know for certain that as long as you draw breath, hope is available to you. You and I are only human. We cannot see into the future. Instead, we picture the possibilities for what might be. Only God knows how our lives will unfold. Hope is His gift to us, a window to look through. We cannot know the future He has planned for us. Trust in Him, keep hope in your heart, and even when faced with the worst, do whatever you can to prepare yourself for the best!

当然，有时祷告会得不到回应，即使祈祷、抱持信心，不幸的事还是会发生。就算是最好、心灵最澄澈的人，有时仍会经历可怕的失落与痛苦。陆续发生在海地、智利、墨西哥和中国的严重地震就提醒了我们，巨大的苦难与悲剧每天都在发生。数以万计的人在这些自然灾难中丧生，他们的希望与梦想也随之埋葬，很多母亲失去了孩子，许多孩子失去了母亲。

Sometimes, of course, our prayers are not answered. Tragedies occur despite our prayers and our faith. Even the best people with the purest of hearts sometimes suffer horrible losses and grief. The recent deadly earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, Mexico, and China are just the most recent examples that tremendous suffering and tragedy occur every day. Thousands died in those natural catastrophes. Their hopes and dreams died with them. Many mothers lost their children. Many children lost their mothers.

如何在这样的苦难之中依然抱持希望呢?当我听到这些可怕的灾难时，有一种想法支撑着我：如此残酷的悲剧往往会触动人类惊人的关爱之心。当你正在怀疑为何在这些无意义的苦难中，还能心存盼望时，盼望就化作庞大的志愿者团队出现了——学生、医生、工程师，以及许多救难人员和重建者涌入灾区，全力贡献所长以帮助幸存者。

How do you sustain hope amid such suffering? One thing that sustains me when I hear of these great calamities is the fact that they always trigger incredible caring from other human beings. Just when you wonder why, amid such senseless suffering, people would still have hope, hundreds of selfless volunteers pour into those regions. Students, doctors, engineers, and other rescuers and rebuilders give of themselves and their talents to help those who have survived.

即使在最糟糕的时刻，依然会出现希望，证明上帝的存在。跟我遇到的许多人比起来，我个人所遭遇的苦难实在小得多，但我也曾经因为失去挚爱而悲伤。尽管我们家族、教会与社区所有虔诚的基督徒都真诚地祷告，我的堂哥罗伊还是在27岁时死于癌症。与你如此亲近的人离世，让人心碎，也难以理解为何会发生这种事，这就是心存盼望对我很重要的原因。你知道，我的盼望已超越地上生命，终极的盼望在天堂。笃信耶稣基督的罗伊此刻与耶稣同在天堂，而且不再受苦——这样的盼望大大抚慰了所有家人的心。

Hope appears even in the worst of times to give us proof of God's presence. My own suffering seems so slight in comparison to the trials endured by so many people I've met, but I've also grieved the loss of a loved one. Our family lost my cousin Roy to cancer at the age of twenty-seven, despite the fervent prayers of all the devout Christians in our family, church, and community. Losing someone so close to you is heartbreaking and difficult to understand, which is why having hope is so important to me. You see, my hope extends beyond our worldly existence. The ultimate hope is in heaven. My family takes no little consolation in the hope that my cousin, who believed in Jesus Christ, is in heaven with Him and suffering no more.

即使面对的恶劣状况似乎已超过个人能力，但上帝知道我们能承受多少。我相信地上生命只是短暂的，是要为永生做准备;无论现在的人生是好是坏，天堂的承诺都在等着我们。在最困难的时光里，我总希望上帝会赐给我力量，以承受这些磨难与心痛;我相信好日子就在前方，如果不是在地上，那肯定在天堂。

Even in the worst situations that seem beyond our capacities, God knows how much our hearts can bear. I hold on to the belief that our life here is temporary, as we are being prepared for eternity. Whether our lives here are good or bad, the promise of heaven awaits. I always have hope in the most difficult times that God will give me the strength to endure the challenges and the heartache and that better days await, if not on this earth then for certain in heaven.

在祷告未得应允时，我有个很棒的方法可以让自己继续挺住，那就是走出去接触其他人。如果你的痛苦是个负担，就去减轻别人的痛苦，带给他们希望，鼓励他们，让他们因为知道自己并不是孤独地承受苦难而得到安慰。当你需要安慰时，给别人安慰;当你需要友谊时，成为他人的朋友;在你最需要希望时，给人盼望。

One of the best ways I've found for holding on even when our prayers are not answered is to reach out to others. If your suffering is a burden, reach out to ease that of someone else and bring hope to them. Lift them up so that they will be comforted with the knowledge that they are not alone in their suffering. Offer compassion when you need it. Be a friend when you need friendship. Give hope when you most need it.

我还年轻，不想假装自己无所不知，但我愈来愈了解，当绝望蔓延、当我们的祷告没有得到回应、当我们最深的恐惧成真时，救赎的力量就在我们和周遭人的关系之中，也在我们与上帝的关系，以及我们对他的爱与智慧的信任里(对我和基督徒来说更是如此)。

I am young and I don't pretend to have all the answers, but more and more I realize that in those times when hopelessness seems to prevail, when our prayers go unanswered, and when our worst fears are realized, our salvation lies in our relationships with those around us and, especially for me and fellow Christians, in our relationship with God and our trust in His love and wisdom.