December 9

"For this our light and transitory burden of suffering is achieving for us a weight of glory" (2 Cor.4:17)

"Is achieving for us," mark. The question is repeatedly asked━Why is the life of man drenched¹ with so much blood, and blistered² with so many tears? The answer is to be found in the word "achieving"; these things are achieving for us something precious. They are teaching us not only the way to victory, but better still the laws of victory. There is a compensation in every sorrow, and the sorrow is working out the compensation. It is the cry of the dear old hymn³:

"Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee, E'en tho' it be a cross that raiseth me."

Joy sometimes needs pain to give it birth. Fanny Crosby could never have written her beautiful hymn, "I shall see Him face to face," were it not for the fact that she had never looked upon the green fields nor the evening sunset nor the kindly⁴ twinkle in her mother's eye. It was the loss of her own vision that helped her to gain her remarkable⁵ spiritual discernment.

It is the tree that suffers that is capable of polish. When the woodman wants some curved lines of beauty in the grain he cuts down some maple⁶ that has been gashed⁷ by the axe⁸ and twisted by the storm. In this way he secures the knots and the hardness that take the gloss⁹.

It is comforting to know that sorrow tarries only for the night; it takes its leave in the morning. A thunderstorm is very brief when put alongside the long summer day. "Weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning."(Ps.30:5) ━Songs in the Night

"There is a peace that cometh after sorrow,

Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled;

A peace that looketh not upon tomorrow,

But calmly on a tempest that it stilled. ”

"A peace that lives not now in joy's excesses,

Nor in the happy life of love secure;

But in the unerring strength the heart possesses,

Of conflicts won while learning to endure.”

"A peace there is, in sacrifice secluded¹⁰,

A life subdued¹¹, from will and passion free;

‘Tis not the peace that over Eden brooded,

But that which triumphed in Gethsemane.

十二月九日

「我们这至暂至轻的苦楚，要为我们成就极重无比永远的荣耀。」 （林后四:17）

「要为我们成就」，请注意这句话。许多人常一再问说━为甚么人生需要流血、流泪！回答在这里：「要为我们成就」━成就极重无比永远的荣耀。苦难不单教导我们得胜的方法，更教导我们得胜的定律。

古谚有云：「纵使为十字架所举起，你却更靠近了神。」

有时，喜乐是需要痛苦来产生的。芬妮．克劳斯贝是一个瞎子，她从未看到过绿色的田野，傍晚的日落，和她母亲眼里的慈爱，光芒，若不是这个痛苦的事实，她绝对写不出那首美丽的颂赞「我将和他见面」。因为她丧失了视觉，才使她获得了优异的灵感。

饱受磨折的树，才有坚实而细致的木材。

最使我们得安慰的，乃是：忧愁虽然耽延，到了早晨，是必须离去的。「一宿虽然有哭泣，早晨便必欢呼。」（诗卅:5）━译自夜间的歌

那里是平安,经忧伤来临,

摒弃了愿望与它的满足；

这种平安并不注视明天,

但凝视它所平息的騒动。

这种平安并不在过度的喜乐里,

也不在安定快乐﹑爱情的人生里；

但却在内心拥有坚定的力量,

从持久学习过程中化解了冲突。

这种平安,在于暗中的祈祷,

顺服的生命,意志的降服与受苦；

绝非伊甸园里弥漫的平安,

乃是客西马尼园里的得胜。

1 drenched   

adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
• The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 blistered   

adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂

参考例句：

• He had a blistered heel. 他的脚后跟起了泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Their hands blistered, but no one complained. 他们手起了泡，可是没有一个人有怨言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

4 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

5 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

6 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

7 gashed   

v.划伤，割破( gash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He gashed his hand on a sharp piece of rock. 他的手在一块尖石头上划了一个大口子。
• He gashed his arm on a piece of broken glass. 他的胳膊被玻璃碎片划了一个大口子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

9 gloss   

n.光泽，光滑；虚饰；注释；vt.加光泽于；掩饰

参考例句：

• John tried in vain to gloss over his faults.约翰极力想掩饰自己的缺点，但是没有用。
• She rubbed up the silver plates to a high gloss.她把银盘擦得很亮。

10 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。