Advice from One Older 前辈的忠告
Dexu Xia
Be kind and compassionate to one another. Ephesians 4:32
“What do I regret?” That was the question New York Times bestselling writer George Saunders answered in his 2013 commencement speech at Syracuse University. His approach was that of an older person (Saunders) who shared one or two regrets he’d had in life with the younger people (graduates) who could learn something from his examples. He listed a few things people might assume he regretted, like being poor and working terrible jobs. But Saunders said he really didn’t regret those at all. What he did regret, however, were failures of kindness—those opportunities he had to be kind to someone, and he let them pass.
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Ephesus answering this question: What does the Christian life look like? It’s tempting to rush in with our answers, like possessing a particular political view, avoiding certain books or films, worshiping in a particular manner. But Paul’s approach didn’t limit him to contemporary issues. He does mention abstaining from “unwholesome talk” (Ephesians 4:29) and ridding ourselves of things like bitterness and anger (v. 31). Then to conclude his “speech,” in essence, he says to the Ephesians as well as to us, “Don’t fail to be kind” (v. 32). And the reason behind that is because in Christ, God has been kind to you.
Of all the things we believe the life in Jesus to be, one of them, surely, is to be kind.
By: John Blase
Where have you recently failed to be kind? What’s one way you can succeed in kindness today?
Dear Jesus, as You’ve been kind to me, let me be kind to others.
并要以恩慈相待，存怜悯的心。—以弗所书4章32节
“我有什么遗憾？”在2013年雪城大学的毕业演讲中，《纽约时报》畅销书作家乔治·桑德斯（George Saunders）对这个问题做出回应。他演讲的方式就像一个前辈与晚辈的对话，桑德斯与这群毕业生分享他人生中感到遗憾的一两件事，好让他们可以从他的经历中有所学习。桑德斯列举一些人们认为他可能会感到遗憾的事，比如穷困潦倒和从事一些卑微的工作。但桑德斯表示，他一点也不为这些事感到遗憾。然而，那令他真正感到后悔的，是没有善待他人，多次错过以恩慈待人的机会。
使徒保罗在写给以弗所信徒的书信中，回答了一个问题﹕基督徒的生活是怎样的？我们很容易匆忙给出答案，比如抱持某种政治观点、不看某些书籍或电影，以特定的方式敬拜上帝等。但保罗所提供的答案，并不仅是针对当代信徒面对的问题。他指出我们要绝口不说“污秽的言语”（以弗所书4章29节），除去一切苦毒和忿怒（31节）。最后，他书信的结语是对以弗所教会说的，同样也是对你我的劝勉﹕“要以恩慈相待”（32节）。这背后的原因，就是在基督里上帝一直以恩慈对待我们。我们相信在跟随耶稣的生命中，其中一个要做的事，肯定是以恩慈待人。
反思一下，你最近在什么事情上没有善待他人？
今天，你可以用什么方式向人表达善意？
亲爱的耶稣，祢以恩慈待我，请帮助我也能以恩慈待人。