人生不設(shè)限·心存盼望而活

或許你對“抱持希望，什么都有可能”這種想法心存懷疑，又或者你曾經(jīng)心情低落到覺得自己幾乎找不到出路。我也有過這種感覺，那時我真的相信自己的生命永遠(yuǎn)不可能有價值，我只會成為家人和朋友的包袱而已。

You may be skeptical that anything is possible by hanging on to hope. Or perhaps you have been brought down so low that finding the strength to crawl out of your despair seems impossible. There was a time when I felt exactly that way. I was absolutely convinced that my life would never be of value and that I would only be a burden to those I loved.

我出生時，父母非常沮喪。這不能怪他們，他們可沒準(zhǔn)備好會有這樣一個缺手缺腳的小孩。當(dāng)孩子來到這個世界時，每個父母都會設(shè)想孩子的未來，但我父母卻很難推斷我將來到底會過什么樣的日子;漸漸長大之后，我也有了這樣的困惑。

My parents were not prepared for a child without limbs when I was born, and as a result they were despondent. Who could blame them? Every mother and father tries to envision the future for the children they bring into the world. My parents had diffi culty projecting what sort of future I would have, and as I grew older, so did I.

我們都曾經(jīng)覺得自己的人生即將在殘酷的現(xiàn)實(shí)中毀滅，就好像一輛高速行駛的汽車撞上墻壁。你個人的遭遇也許很獨(dú)特，但這種絕望的情境人皆有之。常有青少年寫E-mail告訴我，虐待和忽視的問題撕裂了他們的家庭;成年人則談到藥物、酒精或色情使他們的人生癱瘓了。有一些日子，我會覺得跟我談話的人里頭好像有一半得了癌癥，或是面臨其他危及生命的疾病。

We all have at times seen our vision for our lives crash into a cruel reality like a speeding car into a brick wall. The particulars of your experience may be unique, but situations of despair are all too human. Teens often e-mail me stories of abuse and neglect ripping apart their families. Adults share stories in which drugs or alcohol or pornography have left them crippled. Some days it seems like half the people I talk to are dealing with cancer or some other life-threatening medical condition.

在這樣的情境中，要如何持守盼望?請相信上帝，并記住你來到這里是有理由的，然后為了實(shí)現(xiàn)那個目標(biāo)奉獻(xiàn)出自己。無論你碰到的挑戰(zhàn)是什么，你都深受祝福，得以找到出路。只要想想我父母和他們曾經(jīng)面對的絕望，你就能理解了。

How do you stay hopeful in such situations? You trust in God, remember that you are here for a reason, and dedicate yourself to fulfilling that purpose. Whatever challenge you are facing, you are blessed in ways that will help you find a way through it. Just think of my parents and of the hopelessness that they once faced.