Deep Waters 深水

[Dexu Xia]

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters. Proverbs 20:5

When Bill Pinkney sailed solo around the world in 1992—taking the hard route around the perilous Great Southern Capes—he did it for a higher purpose. His voyage was to inspire and educate children. That included students at his former inner-city Chicago elementary school. His goal? To show how far they could go by studying hard and making a commitment—the word he chose in naming his boat. When Bill takes schoolkids on the water in Commitment, he says, “They’ve got that tiller in their hand and they learn about control, self-control, they learn about teamwork . . . all the basics that one needs in life to be successful.”

Pinkney’s words paint a portrait of Solomon’s wisdom. “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5). He invited others to examine their life goals. Otherwise, “it is a trap,” said Solomon, “to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows” (v. 25).

In contrast, William Pinkney had a clear purpose that eventually inspired thirty thousand students across the United States to learn from his journey. He became the first African American inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame. “Kids were watching,” he said. With similar purpose, let’s set our course by the deep counsel of God’s instructions to us.

By:  Patricia Raybon

In your life, what is the why for your work or ministry? What legacy do you hope to leave by what you accomplish?

Inspire me, faithful God, to commit to working with a purpose that glorifies You.

人心中的筹算如同深水。—箴言20章5节，和合本修订版

在1992年，比尔 · 平克尼（Bill Pinkney）独自驾驶帆船环游世界，他为了更远大的目标，选择了最困难的海域，行经危险的大南开普敦沿海。他先前曾在芝加哥贫民区的小学任教，他希望自己的这趟旅程能够启发和教育儿童，包括这些贫困家庭的孩子。他的目标是要让孩子们看见，透过努力学习和立定决心，可以走到多远的地方。他还将这艘船命名为“决心号”。比尔也时常带学生乘着决心号在水面航行，他说：“孩子们手里握着舵柄，学习管理、自我控制和团队合作，这些都是要在生活中取得成功所需的基本要素。”

比尔的话呼应了所罗门的智慧之言：“人心中的筹算如同深水，惟聪明人才能汲引出来”（箴言20章5节，和合本修订版）。所罗门恳请人们检视自己的人生目标，他说：“不可作茧自缚，草率向上主许愿，事后才考虑代价。”（25节，新普及译本）

相形之下，比尔却是经过深思熟虑才作出决定，最终他激励了全美三万名学生从他的旅程中有所学习，他还成为第一位入选美国帆船名人堂的非裔美国人。他说：“孩子们都看在眼里。”同样地，让我们带着决心，并根据上帝的指示来设定我们的目标。

作者：  雷翠霞

回顾你的人生，你工作或事奉的原因是什么？
你希望自己能传递什么给下一代？

信实的上帝，求祢激励我，让我能立下心志，
以荣耀祢的名作为我工作的目标。