"Making the Most of Failure"
好好利用你的失敗
作者：Graham Cooke
翻譯：John Doong
日期：2004, 6, 2
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/2207
What we think about God is the single, most important thing in the world. How we perceive Him will dictate how we live our life. How we see ourselves in relation to Him will orchestrate all that we are and do in this world.
我們心中對神的看法是這世上唯一最重要的事情。我們對神的感受將會決定我們如何過我們的生活。我們如何看待我們與神的關係，將會主導我們在這世上成為何種人與作哪些事！
We live in a success-driven world. So, in particular, seeing any failure in relation to the heart of God is absolutely vital. God is love, and the nature of that love must be the driving force behind everything that we do or attempt.
我們活在一個以成功為導向的世界。了解神的心中是如何看待失敗，絕對是一件非常重要的事！神就是愛，而這樣愛的本質必須是我們一切所作所嘗試的原動力！
God is not human. He is the sum of everything. He is not just the Creator of the world - He is the Creator of all things, including love. He does all things well, including love. His standard for everything is excellence. The benchmark for success in the Kingdom of God is so high no one can reach it without His input. And yet He chooses mostly failures to represent Him.
神並不是人類。他是萬物的總合。他不單單是這世界的創造者，他是一切所有的創造者，包括愛！他作萬事都很好，包括愛。他對所有事物的標準是卓越。在神的國度衡量成功的基準點是如此的高，以至於除非神的介入任何人都不可能達到。然而他卻仍揀選多數的失敗者來作為他的代表。
"For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh should glory in Hs presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption - that, as it is written 'He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.'" (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NKJV)
「弟兄們哪，可見你們蒙召的，按著肉體有智慧的不多，有能力的不多，有尊貴的也不多。神卻揀選了世上愚拙的，叫有智慧的羞愧。又揀選世上軟弱的，叫那強壯的羞愧。神也揀選世上卑賤的，被人厭惡的，以及那無有的，為要廢掉那有的。使一切有血氣的，在神面前一個也不能自誇。但你們得在基督耶穌裏，是本乎神，神又使他成為我們的智慧、公義、聖潔、救贖。如經上所記，誇口的當指著主誇口。」（林前一26~31）
So it's official. God loves a failure!
因此，這是公認的，神喜歡失敗！
"He Does Not Need to Be Seen in the 'Right' Places with the 'Right' People" 他不需要與對的人出現在對的地方！
He did not want the beauty of His nature and the glory of His kingdom solely to be represented by the great, the good, and the clever. He did not want a Who's Who of humanity to portray His own magnificence.
他不願意單單讓那些偉大的、好的、聰明的人來代表他美麗的屬性與國度的榮耀。他不需要透過某某人的人性來描繪他的偉大。
He does not need to be seen in the right places with the right people. Jesus was criticized viciously for hanging out with the very people that society detested. He chose to become despised and rejected. God does not have an image problem.
他不需要與對的人出現在對的地方。耶穌因為與那些被社會唾棄的人在一起而遭致批評。他選擇讓自己被輕視與拒絕。上帝並沒有自我形象的困擾！
He chose people who had a history of failure. He picked people who had a history of not learning and who repeated their mistakes continuously.
他揀選過去曾失敗的人。他選擇那些失學的，那些不斷重複犯錯的人。
God chooses people who were despised as being stupid, by people who should know better. He accepted people who would require lots of training just to be normal, let alone successful.
神揀選那些遭受自以為有智慧的，輕視為愚拙的人。他接納那些要非常努力訓練才會變得稍微正常的人，更別提成功了。
He chose them because He wanted to love them in such a way that they would always be safe and whole...whether they were successful or not.
他揀選他們，因為神要愛他們，讓他們無論在成功或失敗都感到自己是安全與被完整接納的。
He chose them so that His love for them could heal them of their foolishness. He has a wonderful capacity to enjoy us in our weaknesses. He has a plan to make us successful through failure.
他揀選他們以至於神對他們的愛可以醫治他們的愚昧。神有奇妙的寬容可以來享受我們的軟弱。他有一個計畫來讓我們經由失敗得以成功。
We can fail successfully or we can fail badly.
我們可以失敗的很成功，或者我們可以失敗的很糟！
To fail successfully, we need to know who we are in Jesus.
要有成功的失敗，我們需要去知道我們在耶穌裏的身分。
"Our Mistakes Are Already Covered"
我們的過錯已經被遮蓋
We are in Christ, and He is in us. The Father has a plan for our personality as much as He has a design for changing our character to make us more like himself. A big part of that plan, therefore, is to love us in exactly the same way that He loves Jesus. We are not loved when we succeed in Christ. We are loved fully because we are in Him. God loved us powerfully when we were lost in sin.
我們在基督裏，他也在我們裡面。天父對我們的人格有一個計畫，他設計要改變我們的品格讓我們更像他自己。這計畫當中很大的一部分，是他要完全照著他愛耶穌的方式來愛我們。我們並非因為在基督裏成功才被愛。我們被愛完全只是因為我們在他裡面。當我們還迷失在罪當中時，神大能的愛就已經愛我們。
We fail successfully when we realize that our mistakes are already covered. No matter how well or badly our life is going, we learn to live under the smile of God. Know that in the love of God we cannot fail. We can only make mistakes, and every mistake has already been covered by the cross.
當我們了解我們的過犯已經被遮蓋時，我們才能成功地失敗。無論我們生活過的順利或是糟糕，我們學習活在神的微笑當中。因為我們知道在神的愛中我們無法失敗。我們只能犯錯，然而每個過錯在十字架上都已經被遮蓋。
Where were you when Jesus died? You had no existence. All our sins and mistakes were in the future, and they were covered by that one incredible act of sacrificial love. All our past, present, and future sins and mistakes have already been covered. Our future has been secured in the love of God. Shame is not on God's agenda for us. He allows us the wonder and joy of repentance - literally "to think again," to think differently, and to become what we think about.
當耶穌死在十架時你在哪裡呢？你甚至還沒有存在！在當時我們所有的過犯都還在”未來”，然而他們都已經被那次不可置信的犧牲之愛所遮蓋！所有我們過去、現在、未來的罪都已經被遮蓋。我們的未來已經在神的愛中安穩。對神而言，羞恥不是我們的議題。他給我們悔改的美妙與喜樂，基本上悔改就是”重新思考”，心意更新而變化，然後我們要變成我們所思考的。
"Loving Learning Enables Us to Become Wise and Also Beloved" 擁抱學習讓我們成為有智慧及被愛的
We fail successfully when we discover that God wants us to love the learning that exists in every situation. All forms of accountability are about loving the learning that is present in every circumstance. That learning produces the fruit of self control, which in turn guarantees lasting change.
當我們發現神要我們擁抱存在於每一個情境的學習機會，我們才可以成功地失敗。責任感的所有形式都是關乎我們是否擁抱存在於各種環境下的學習機會。學習可以產生自我控制的果子，這果子會保證我們有持續的改變。
God knows that when we do things for the first time, we learn how not to do it. Loving the learning in every situation enables us to become wise and also beloved. Wise - because we learn from our mistakes and grow. Beloved - because our sense of acceptance comes from being in Christ and not from our ability or performance. Therefore, if we fail at something, we can still grow in the love of God. The joy of repentance and the beauty of God's unchanging nature guarantees forgiveness and acceptance.
神知道當我們第一次作某些事時，我們習慣不去作它。擁抱在每一個情境下的學習機會，會使我們成為有智慧及被愛的。有智慧：是因為我們從我們的錯誤中學習及成長。被愛：是因為我們越來越明白我們被接納是因為我們在主裏，而非因為我們的能力或成就。因此，即便當我們失敗時，我們仍然持續在神的愛中成長。悔改的喜樂及神亙古不變的屬性讓我們確信神的饒恕與接納。
"God Does Not Get Disillusioned With Us"
神不會對我們感到幻滅！
We fail successfully when we realize that God is not even remotely embarrassed by our weaknesses. He defends us to all our detractors. He is not ashamed to call us brethren. We are in Christ and cannot be condemned (Romans 8). The One who loves us the best, knows us the best. God does not get disillusioned with us because He had no illusions in the first place!
當我們了解到神根本不會躲在遠遠地對我們的軟弱感到難堪，我們就可以成功的失敗。他為我們向所有的毀謗者辯護。他並不恥於稱我們為弟兄。我們在基督裏就不再被定罪（羅馬書八章）。這位最愛我們的神，了解我們最深！神對我們不會感到幻滅，因為他打從一開始就沒有幻覺。
We fail successfully when we allow ourselves to be comforted. Our mentor is the Holy Spirit who helps us to laugh at ourselves. He is the Comforter sent to lead us into all truth. When we are embarrassed at the truth of our current mindset or behavior, He comforts us so that we are not paranoid about screwing up. Then He helps us with the learning. Every test is repeatable. We cannot fail the tests of God because we get to take them again…and again…and again, until we pass. Even in the consequences of our action, the love of God reaches out to cover, protect, and nurture us in our wounded-ness
當我們允許自己被人安慰時，我們就失敗的很成功。聖靈是我們的導師，他會幫助我們自嘲。他是神差遣給我們的保慧師，帶領我們進入一切的真理。當我們因為發現自己目前的光景(無論是心思意念或是行為)而感到難堪時，聖靈安慰我們免得我們以為自己搞砸了一切而過度自責。他幫助我們繼續學習。每一個測驗都是可以持續重複的。我們不可能在神的考試中被當掉，因為神會不斷地讓我們補考，直到最後我們終於通過測驗。即便是在我們錯誤行動所導致的後果中，神的愛仍然會伸向我們，遮蓋、保護，並滋養我們的傷處。
http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/2207
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