人生不設(shè)限·我的生命有一天會成為奇跡

我在南非一所教堂演講時，看見幾百個生病的人、身體有障礙的人和垂死的人排隊等候治療的奇跡，那是我最難忘的景象。通常我會在演講中拿自己沒有四肢這件事開開玩笑，只是希望大家能放輕松。但是在這個教堂里，沒有人笑!那些人不是來聽笑話的，他們是為治療而來。他們需要奇跡。

One of the most emotionally raw and unforgettable scenes from our South Africa trip came when I spoke at a certain church. Hundreds of sick, disabled, and dying people had lined up to seek a healing miracle there. Normally I make a few joking references to my lack of limbs, just to put people at ease. In this church, no one laughed! They were not there for humor. They were there for healing. They wanted miracles.

每天晚上，他們戴著頸箍、拄著拐杖、坐著輪椅來到這個教堂，希望能被醫(yī)治。我們看到兩個艾滋病患者躺在床墊上被拖來，其他人則是走了四五個小時的路才來到這里。教堂后面有成排的拐杖和輪椅，據(jù)說是那些被治愈的人留下來的。我和亞倫跟一位腿和腳都腫成兩倍大的人說話，他極度痛苦，但還是走到這個教堂來，希望得到醫(yī)治。

Every single night they came to this church in neck braces, on crutches, and in wheelchairs with hope for a healing. Two people with AIDS had been dragged on mattresses to the church. Others had walked four and five hours to get there. The back of the church was lined with crutches and wheelchairs that were said to have been left by those who'd been healed. My brother and I talked to a man whose leg and foot were swollen to nearly twice their normal size. He was in agony, but he'd walked to this church to be healed.

每個人都祈求有力量可以治療那些痛苦的人，我當然也曾經(jīng)禱告，希望出現(xiàn)奇跡，給我手和腳。但我的請求從來未得應(yīng)允，而我們在那間南非教堂遇到的大多數(shù)人，也沒有得到他們想要的奇跡，但這并不表示奇跡不會發(fā)生。我的生命有一天可能會成為奇跡，因為我曾經(jīng)向這么多不同的聽眾演講，分享信仰，并鼓舞了他們。

Everyone wishes for the power to heal those in pain. I've certainly done my share of praying for a miracle to give me arms and legs. But my request has never been granted, and most of the people we met at that South African church did not get their miracles either. But that does not mean miracles cannot occur. My life may well qualify as a miracle someday, given that I've been able to reach so many diverse audiences, speaking words of faith and inspiration.

一個塞爾維亞裔、沒有四肢的澳大利亞基督徒，曾應(yīng)哥斯達黎加、哥倫比亞、埃及和中國等國家的政府領(lǐng)導人之邀前去演講，這可不是小奇跡吧。我和科普特教會的教宗欣諾達三世(Pope Shenouda III)、埃及武裝部隊總司令坦塔維(Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi)碰過面，更別提耶穌基督后期圣徒教會[36]的領(lǐng)導人了。我的人生經(jīng)歷證明了一件事：除了我們自己，沒有什么可以限制我們的人生。

The fact that this Australian Christian of Serbian descent with no limbs has received invitations to speak from government leaders in Costa Rica, Colombia, Egypt, and China is no small miracle. I've met with Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Church and with the grand imam Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, not to mention with leaders of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. My life is testimony to the fact that there are no limits other than those we impose upon ourselves!

過著不設(shè)限的人生，意味著知道自己永遠可以付出某樣東西，來減輕他人的負擔。即使是小小的善行、少少的幾塊錢，都能帶來重大影響。2010年海地大地震后，美國紅十字會迅速成立援助專案，任何想幫忙的人都可以參與，只要通過手機短信輸入“HAITI”(海地)這個字，再傳到90999這個號碼，就可以捐出10美元。

Living without limits means knowing that you always have something to give, something that might ease the burden of others. Even small kindnesses and a few dollars can have a powerful impact. After the terrible earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the American Red Cross quickly set up a program for people to help right away. They made it possible to donate ten dollars by taking a cell phone and texting "HAITI" to the number 90999.

10美元看起來不多，輸入“HAITI”這個字也不費力，這是個小小的慈善行動。但如果你是其中一個參與者，你就造成了很大的影響。根據(jù)我最近向紅十字會查到的資料顯示，超過300萬人通過手機短信捐了10美元給海地，因此，紅十字會收到了超過3200萬美元的捐款，可以用來幫助海地人。

Now, ten dollars doesn't seem like much, and texting it didn't take much effort. It was a small act of charity. But if you were one of those who participated, you made a huge difference. The last time I checked, according to the Red Cross, more than three million people made ten-dollar donations to Haiti on their cell phones. As a result, the Red Cross had received more than $32 million to finance its efforts to help the people of Haiti!