人生不设限·上帝自有安排
A few years ago I was flying with my caregiver across the country. At one airport our flight was delayed (no surprise), and when we finally were on the plane and taxiing from the departure gate, I looked out the window and saw smoke coming from the engine.
然后，消防车呜呜叫着过来了，消防人员跳出来，向飞机引擎喷洒泡沬，抢着灭火。而因为引擎失火，乘客被告知要紧急疏散。
A fire truck came roaring up. The firefighters jumped out and sprayed foam on the engine to put out the blaze. Due to a small fire in the engine, the passengers were told, we will be conducting an emergency evacuation of this plane.
好吧，我想，引擎失火是不太妙，不过引擎突然冒火时，我们是在地面上，这倒是件好事。当航空公司广播说我们的班机还要再延误两个钟头时，不少乘客气得狂骂。我也觉得烦躁，但又很高兴不必遭遇可能发生的空中惊魂——至少我是这样告诉自己的。
Well, all right, I thought. Fire in the engine was not good, but being on the ground when the "small fire" broke out was a plus. When it was announced that our flight would be delayed another two hours, many of my fellow passengers complained loudly and bitterly. I was irritated but glad we had been spared a possible mid-flight emergency, or so I told myself.
不过，想到我们的行程安排真的很紧凑，我实在很难保持正面态度，但我告诉自己：“记住，上帝不会浪费时间。”然后，另一个广播声音响起了，原来航空公司已经为我们安排了另一架飞机，可以立刻起飞。好消息!
Still, I struggled a bit to remain positive since we were on a tight schedule. Remember, God doesn't waste time, I told myself. Then came yet another announcement: They'd lined up another plane at another gate to take us immediately. Good news!
我们立刻去新的登机门排队登上飞机，准备起飞。我松了一口气，直到发现坐我旁边的女士正安静地啜泣。
We hurried to the new departure gate, boarded yet another plane, and settled in for the flight. I was relieved until I noticed that the woman sitting next to me was quietly weeping.
“有什么我可以帮你的吗?”我问道。
"Is there something I can do?" I asked.
她解释说她要飞去看她15岁的女儿，因为一场例行手术出了严重差错，让她女儿危在旦夕。我竭尽所能地安慰那位母亲，几乎一整个航程都在跟她讲话。我还说了一句话，把她逗笑了——当她说搭飞机让她很紧张时，我告诉她：“那你可以握住我的手。”
She explained that she was flying to visit her fi fteen-year-old daughter, who was in danger of dying after a routine surgery had gone terribly wrong. I did my best to comfort the mother. We talked for nearly the entire flight. I even drew a smile from her after she told me she was nervous about flying. "You can hold my hand if you like," I teased.
抵达目的地时，那位母亲谢谢我安慰了她。我跟她说，在班机延误了这么多次，又换了不同的登机门之后，最后可以坐在她旁边，我心里也充满感激。
When we landed at our destination, the mother thanked me for comforting her. I told her I was grateful that I'd ended up seated next to her on the plane after so many delays and gate changes.
那天上帝并没有浪费我的时间，他知道他在做什么。上帝把我放在那位女士身旁，让我帮她减轻恐惧和悲伤。对那天发生的事想得愈多，我就愈感谢能有机会以同情心倾听那位女士心中的苦。
God had not wasted my time that day. He knew what He was doing. He put me next to that woman to help her with her fears and grief. The more I thought about that day, the more grateful I was for the chance to offer this woman a sympathetic ear.
