人會失去方向感

作者/英譯：盧國禮

耶穌說﹕"我為審判到這世上來﹐叫不能看見的﹐可以看見﹔能看見的﹐反瞎了眼" (約翰福音 九﹕39﹐和合本) 。

法利賽人便反問耶穌說﹕ "難道我們也瞎了眼嗎﹖"

耶穌對他們說﹕"你們若瞎了眼﹐就沒有罪了﹔但如今你們說﹕'我們能看見'﹐所以你們的罪還在 " (約翰福音 九﹕40 – 41﹐和合本) 。

Charles R. Swindoll 在他 Disorientation 的文章中講了一個故事 (這是 President Harry Truman  總統喜歡講的故事) 我覺得很有意思﹐容許我與大家分享。

有一個人工作的時候﹐頭部意外被擊中了。 撞力很大﹐他因此昏迷了一段時間。他的家人相信他氣絕死了, 便請殯儀館的人來醫院把他殮葬。第二天清晨﹐他突然醒來﹐在棺木上坐起來。他非常混亂﹐貶眨眼﹐看看周圍的情況﹐試想想﹐究竟是甚麼一回事呢？

他想﹕"如果我是活著的﹐天啊﹗我在這軟綿綿的盒子裡幹甚麼﹖但如果我死了﹐我為何需要去小解呢﹖" 這受傷的人實在霎時間迷失了方向感﹐不知所措。

其實﹐ 失去人生 方向﹐多少時候都會發生在我和你的身上。我們是否曾經歷過一些人生低潮？在工作繁忙壓力下﹐背著重擔﹐沮喪失望﹐事事不如意﹐對人和事皆提不起興趣﹐失了信心﹔甚者﹐憂鬱成病﹐要長時服藥才可能痊瘉。在此情此景﹐人會不知不覺或自覺地失去了方向﹐活著不知有何意義。有眼卻看不見﹐有耳卻聽不到﹐所以耶穌說世人都瞎了眼。

相反﹐我們可能活得豐富﹐事業有成﹐有家庭幸福﹐社會地位﹐權力都有﹐但卻不會珍惜他所擁有的﹐不知自律﹐行差踏錯﹐召來官非禍患﹐遺臭後世。又有些大有能力的人﹐假冒為善 ﹐假情假義﹐有如一世紀時耶穌疚病的法利賽人﹐同樣也是失去了方向。活人卻似死人﹐過著行屍走肉的生活。所以﹐耶穌說世人雖然能看見﹐他們的罪還在。

衛星導向是廿一世紀科技的突破﹐可是人造儀器始終不能百份百信靠而無誤。如果前面有工程進行中﹐臨時改路或交通阻塞﹐導航系統可能不會發出正確指示﹐還需個人的觀察和判斷來抉擇; 好比人在患難中﹐低谷裏﹐怎能走向光明？怎樣倚靠 神的聖手扶持我們﹐走過死蔭的幽谷﹐不怕遭害？

現今高科技的世代﹐很多駕車的人都喜歡裝上衛星導航儀﹐我們要到的目的地﹐很容易預設輸入導航儀﹐它會叫我們向前﹐轉左 或轉右﹐用最短的路程達目的地。本來﹐對環境不熟識的駕駛者﹐例如﹐在新市鎮 或未到過的區域﹐是可倚靠著導航儀去到達目的地﹐這當然 是無可厚非。不過﹐有些人士就算認識路途也利用導航儀﹐為的是不想用心駕車﹐全賴儀器。習慣了便不知不覺﹐失去了辨別方向的能力和知識﹐很容易迷失道向。

歷史告訴我們﹐教會也曾失去方向才發生十六世紀宗教改革。 神"使用馬丁路德在教皇具有無限權勢﹐幾乎整個教會都走邪路的時候﹐敢於振臂而起﹐不但作中流砥柱﹐並且逆流而上﹐持守聖經真理﹐於 1517 年將 '因信稱義' 的信仰帶回教會之中。" (大使命雙月刊第八十四期﹐ 2010 年 2 月版﹐第七頁)

信仰的四大支柱教義就是 "惟獨信心"﹑ "惟獨聖經" ﹑ "惟獨耶穌" 和 "惟獨恩典"。我們信徒要切實了解﹐接受及實行。在信仰和生活中﹐扎根並抓緊 神的話(聖經)。 盡心﹐盡性﹐盡意﹐盡力去作﹐持守真道﹐傳揚純正福音﹐等候 主再來。感謝 神﹗我們如此行﹐教會 (弟兄姊妹) 就能得勝﹐抵禦一切異端邪說﹐並站立得穩。

眼的必能看見 神的帶領﹐有耳的必能聽聞 神的呼召﹐我們便不會失去方向感了。 阿們﹗

We could become disoriented

by: Francis Loo

Jesus said, "For judgement I have come into this world. So that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."(John 9:39).

Some Pharisees then asked Jesus, "What? Are we blind too?"

Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains" (John 9: 40-41).

Charles R. Swindoll in his writing Disorientation tells of a story (which was President Harry Truman's favourite anecdote). I find it meaningful. Let us share it below:

There was a man accidently hit his head so hard during work that he fainted for a period of time. Members of his family thought that he was dead. They began to ask of the service of the funeral home to the hospital. In the following day, early in the morning, the body suddenly awoke and sat on top of the coffin; he was so puzzled that he blinked his eyes, looking around--trying to think what could have happened.

He thought: "If I were alive, my God! What would I be doing in this cozy box? But, if I were dead, why should I need to pee?" The injured person at that moment had lost his directions—not knowing what to do.

Actually, loss of directions in one's life oftentimes also happens to me and to you. Is it not our common experience having been through the valley of the shadow of life? Under work pressure, bearing the heavy load, feeling frustration and disappointment, everything is against our wish. We'd have found no interest in any person and anything –loss of faith; we would even suffer from depression that requires prescribed medication for a long time. In these circumstances we would (knowingly or not) lose our sense of directions—living but not knowing the meaning of life. We have eyes but cannot see. We have ears but cannot hear. That is why Jesus says that humans are blind.

On the contrary, we may have a delectable life--successful in work, happy family, good status in society, and with power; but we may not cherish what we have possessed. Not knowing self-discipline, we may act and do the wrong things, resulting in litigations and self-destruction—leaving behind a notorious name in the generations to come.

Also, there are some influential people who are hypocritical similar to the first century Pharisees whom Jesus critiqued. They also lost their sense of directions-- just like a living "dead". Therefore, Jesus says although humans can see, their guilt of sins remain, and their minds' eyes are blind.

Global Positioning System (GPS) is the hi-tech of the 21st Century. But artificial intelligence cannot be 100 per cent reliable and accurate. If there were road work ahead with temporary detour or traffic jam the GPS may not be able provide very accurate directives, and we still need individual observation and judgement to select directions. Just like when we are in adversity, down in the valley, how can we see the light? How we rely on God's holy hand to help us to pass through the valley of death without harm?

Nowadays in the hi-tech epoch, many vehicles drivers like to install satellite positioning tools to direct our journey. After inputting the destination into the gadget, which is easy, we'll be guided to go forward, turn left or turn right and to arrive at the destination via the shortest route. Basically, if the drivers who do not know the area, for instance in a new town or have never visited the place before, relying on the GPS to go to the destination is unquestionable. But, some people who know their ways still use the GPS completely dependent on it for the sake of inattentive driving. Subconsciously, they get into the habit of loss of ability to know and tell the directions—easily get lost.

In historic time when the Pope had all the ruling power and he led almost the whole church astray, Martin Luther dauntlessly raised his arms as if pillars holding the truth in the Bible against the current. In 1517 he brought back to the church "salvation is justified by faith" (Great Commission Bi-Monthly, February, 2010, P7).

The four supporting pillars to the doctrine of faith are: "only faith", only Bible", "only Jesus" and "only God's grace" We believers must truly know, receive and practise faith in life rooting into the Word of God(Bible). With all of heart, all of soul, all of mind, and all of strength to hold fast to the truth, we proclaim the gospel—waiting for the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Give thanks to God. If we walk in this way, the church (brothers and sisters) will be victorious standing firm against all heresies.

Those who have eyes must be able to see God lead the way. Those who have ears must be able to hear God's calls. We will not lose our awareness of directions. Amen!