Bending Low 俯身安慰
Dexu Xia
The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort . . . comforts us in all our troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
A young mom followed behind her daughter, who pedaled her tiny bike as fast as her little legs could go. But picking up more speed than she wanted, the little girl suddenly rolled off the bike and cried that her ankle hurt. Her mom quietly got down on her knees, bent down low, and kissed it to “make the pain go away.” And it worked! The little girl jumped up, climbed back on her bike, and pedaled on. Don’t you wish all our pains could go away that easily!
The apostle Paul experienced the comfort of God in his continual struggles yet kept going. He listed some of those trials in 2 Corinthians 11:23–29: floggings, beatings, stonings, sleep deprivation, hunger, concerns for all the churches. He learned intimately that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (1:3) or as another version translates it: “He is the Father who gives tender love” (nirv). Much like a mom comforting her child, God bends down low to tenderly care for us in our pain.
God’s loving ways of comforting us are many and varied. He may give us a Scripture verse that encourages us to continue on, or He may have someone send a special note or prompt a friend to give us a call that touches our spirit. While the struggle may not go away, because God bends down low to help us, we can get up and pedal on.
By: Anne Cetas
In what ways has God comforted you? How can you be a comfort to others because of that?
Father of compassion, come near to me and hold me in Your arms where I can find rest and encouragement.
发慈悲的父，赐各样安慰的上帝。我们在一切患难中，祂就安慰我们。—哥林多后书1章3-4节
一位年轻的母亲紧跟在女儿的后方，女儿小小的双脚急踩着脚踏车的踏板。但由于速度过快，小女孩突然从脚踏车上摔了下来，并哭着说她的脚踝好痛。母亲温柔地蹲下来，俯身亲吻女儿的伤口，说：“妈妈吹吹，疼痛就消失啦！”这个举动果然奏效！小女孩很快就站了起来，重新跃上脚踏车，踩着踏板继续向前骑。我们难道不也希望所有的伤痛都能这么容易就消失吗？
使徒保罗在一连串的苦难中仍坚持不懈，并且经历了上帝的安慰。在哥林多后书11章23-29节，他列举一些曾遭遇过的试炼：被鞭打、被棍打、被石头打、不得睡、又饥又渴，并为众教会挂心。他深知上帝是“发慈悲的父，赐各样安慰的上帝”（1章3节），或如另一圣经版本所译：“祂是慈爱的天父，也是一切安慰的来源”（现代中文译本）。当我们伤心痛苦时，上帝也会像母亲安慰自己的孩子一样，俯身温柔地安慰我们。
慈爱的上帝会以各种不同的方式来安慰我们，祂可能会藉由一节经文激励我们继续前行，也可能会透过某人捎来慰问，或是感动某位朋友打电话来关心我们。虽然苦难或许无法立刻消失，但因有上帝俯身帮助，我们能重新站立，继续前行。作者： 施安妮
上帝曾用什么方式安慰你？你如何能因此而成为别人的安慰？
慈爱的天父，求祢与我亲近，让我在祢怀抱中得着安歇与鼓励。