Tread upon the heights

稳行高处

文： Amanda Li 

I often heard the elderly says, a contented is a perpetual feast,which reflects their wisdom to life. Especially to those veterans who have abundant life experience. They have witnessed a lot from all walks of life. This saying is their conclusion to life rather than a teaching. 

Our Heavenly Father also teaches us to be happy and give thanks in all things. However, many people nowadays are occupied by worries, anxieties. It is hard to glimpse a smile from their face. One of the main reasons is that they are unsatisfied with their current situation, thus it is hard for them to express thankfulness and it is even more difficult for them to stay happy. 

常听老人们说：“知足常乐。”对于这些经历过岁月洗礼的老人来说，这不是知识，也不是什么大道理，而是长年累月生活经历的总结。这何尝不是大智慧。天父也教导我们要常常喜乐，凡事谢恩。然而当下有很多人充满了忧虑，没有喜乐，追其原因，就是没有知足感恩之心。整天愁容满面，一点喜乐都没有，更何况常乐呢？ 

Last week, I invited a long lost friend to the botanical garden. We made tea as well as admired the beautiful scenery. Listening to birds and insects chirping,seeing the nice green plants and water gurgling, I can’t stop sighing, everything is under the care of our heavenly father, from tiny flowers to giant feature. Suddenly, my heart was filled with peace and joy.I was so appreciated that our heavenly father give us so much wonderful things.  

However, my friend was very upset. She was totally attracted by stock information on the phone. It is hard for her to calm down. Then she started to complain. "Ah, If I sold them a few days earlier and I can earn a million RMB at least, but now I lost!" later she talked about she missed a low-priced house, her husband's income, and children's rebellion... In my opinion, she already owns a lot, but she always worries about tomorrow, I feel pity for her.

上周，约了一个许久不见的朋友去植物园泡茶，我沉浸在大自然美丽的风景中，耳边鸟叫虫鸣，满眼翠绿，流水潺潺，每一朵小花都是天父的看顾，风儿就像圣灵的轻语，我的心中充满了平安喜乐，感恩能享受天父所赐的这份美好。然而这么美丽的环境却无法平静朋友的心，她手机里的股票分分钟牵动着她的目光，“哎，早知道前几天卖了，少赚了一百多万，现在又套了！”话题之后又聊到错失的低价房，老公的收入，孩子的叛逆……在我看来她已经拥有很多了，可是却总是为明天焦虑，不禁为她在心里面叹息。

Many people are spiritually poor, love to compete and compare, and their eyes are always fixed on what they don't have. The house is not big enough, the car is not good enough, the income is not high enough, even the child got 99 points, but she still worries about the lost 1 point... Anxiety destroys our health, competition destroys our relationships, and inner poverty makes us even more greedy. The world we live in is full of competition, should we ask ourselves? Do you really have true peace and rest inside?

很多人灵里面是贫穷的，爱去争竞比较，眼睛总是盯着自己所没有的。房子不够大，车子不够好，收入不够高，娃考了99分，还要在意那丢失的1分……焦虑破坏了我们的健康，争竞破坏了我们的关系，内心的贫穷让我们越发贪婪。我们身处的世代非常卷，问问自己的内心吧？你里面有没有平安，有没有安息。 

When the Lord Jesus returned to his disciples who were in panic, his first words were "Peace be with you" (Luke 24：36). God's will is always good, he wants us to enjoy the peace being with him even in the stormy waters. This kind of peace comes from God only, and this peace which the world cannot give. When our hearts turn back to the Lord, he will be the spring of satisfaction, joy, peace…….

How blessed we are as children of the Lord! I really like the words' Tread upon the heights'. This kind of life is stand firmly, let’s press toward the goal with strong faith. Dear friends, may our lives be filled with gratitude and peace, always believing that the grace of the Lord is sufficient!

当主耶稣回到慌乱的门徒面前的时候，他的第一句话就是“愿你们平安”（路24：36），神的心意总是美好，愿我们在惊涛骇浪中享受与他同在的美好。这样的平安来自上帝，这份平安世界给不了。当我们的心回转归向主，单单以他为我们的满足和喜乐，那平静安稳就临到我们身上。

作为主的儿女我们是何等有福！我很喜欢“稳行高处”这四个字，这样的生命是平稳的，扎实的，不受外界变化影响，凭信心竭力向标杆而行的。亲爱的朋友们，愿我们的生命充满感恩，知足，平静安稳，永远相信——主恩够用！