按了兩次門鈴,不知道到底響了沒。把耳朵貼近鐵門再按一次,還是沒聽到「叮咚」。
跟打電話一樣,一次沒接不能定生死;兩次不算叨擾,只是讓對方明白我有事相告。打到第三次,除非攸關性命,雖仍未及奪命連環call的階段,不想接你電話的人已經開始皺眉。
但我按了妳家三次門鈴還不夠,我跑到社區大門,確定你那戶的號碼,按下對講機。
沒動靜。妳應該到家了啊!現在又是午餐時間,就算還在休息也得起來用餐。我停留的時間不多,反正妳家若真沒人我也不會打擾到誰。綜合以上觀點,正當我說服自己不是煩人精、決定再按最後一次的時候,突然瞥見不遠處,有一張臉從門邊探出來。
我在社區門口向妳揮手,喚妳的名說是我啊。妳才整個人站出來,靦腆的叫了一聲:「曉然姊姊。」
親愛的好久不見,我已經升格阿姨,沒多少人叫我姊姊了。妳長高了,更有女人味,但模樣與我記憶中那個青澀的高中女生,依然相距不遠。
妳坐在我娘家客廳的那天之前,我想我見過妳。但娘家從來只是我暫時駐留的地方,我沒有太多時間與人產生交集。我只記得媽媽叫我下樓,向我介紹這個小妹妹是誰。
陪她一下,媽媽叮嚀,她的媽媽待會兒就回來。
我們是怎麼開始聊天的?一定是我先說話吧!妳總是這麼文靜。我把餅乾遞給妳,問妳讀哪個學校?對哪一科最有興趣?課業壓力很重,是嗎?從妳很有禮貌的簡短答覆中,我明白妳的功課向來毋須旁人操心。
我約妳每週五來我家一同參加家聚會,唱詩歌紓壓很有用!妳沒回話。況且有時候聽到別人唱走音,也很有娛樂效果喔!
妳笑了。
將近十個年頭過去了,現在與妳肩並肩坐著,人生帶小妹妹成為女人,帶大姊姊成為母親。我想起妳坐在我身邊一同唱詩歌,想起妳受浸當天,我如何為妳向神禱告:「一生一世,耶和華的恩惠與慈愛要隨著她。讓她真切的認識神、認識聖經,成為召會中的柱子……」
還有我臨走前,妳送我的卡片,筆跡與文字如同妳一貫的娟秀聰穎,至今還壓在我書桌的透明墊下。這麼優秀的女孩,學業有成,就要邁向人生下一個階段,我握著妳的手,何必想不開呢?
妳談起了他。
啊,是的,每段故事裡總是有個他。我靜靜的聽妳說,幫妳抽衛生紙。聰明的妳其實不需要開導,而我本來也就沒甚麼智慧的言語。
說了一陣,約莫也是哭累了,妳停下來。我向妳報告我們分離後的生活,似乎也是一個又一個悲慘的遭遇。我告訴妳自己也曾低落,但無論如何不要放棄,要一直往前,有時似乎看不見出路,但往前走,路其實就擺在腳前。
妳聽了又開始掉淚。噯,怎麼辦?姊姊好像怎麼說總是脫離不了勵志的範圍。我只好告訴妳自己曾經有好次由悲轉憤,氣得直想摔東西,卻孬到只敢拿枕頭砸牆壁。這樣不會傷到手,畢竟每天還是得抱小孩、做家務啊;而且摔枕頭不會打碎任何東西,我才不用掃地。
妳破涕為笑,怎麼有這麼孬的發洩方法?
我只問,妳都試過了嗎?在愛情裡我們可以是女王,不會疼惜妳的人不要也罷。但就算女王也有不完美的地方,雖不能讓自己委屈,卻也要學著退讓。如果他這麼值得,妳解釋、包容和忍耐了嗎?
有啊,但這些年之後,他說他依然沒有辦法愛我。
告白如此直接,我反倒覺得極好,我們明瞭再多付出都是白搭。即使習慣難戒,思念更是一種無法以理智勸退的癮頭,我慶幸妳不必再滯留於晦暗情事,因他做出的決定,妳已經知道這路不必再走,接下來,妳需要的只是時間。
妳臉上還是有淚,但平靜許多。妳告訴我目前對生活的規劃,雖然傷心卻仍有目標,我感到欣慰。我把電話留給妳,這痛將一陣一陣來,但別忘了妳還有神,還有關心妳的家人,我就算不住在附近,只要跳上火車來陪我們去公園散步,錫安的醉漢亂走法保證繞到妳昏頭轉向,忘記情傷。
妳陪我走到門口,我要妳記得吃東西,準備考試不可以沒體力……聽我開始碎念,妳笑笑地說,「謝謝姊姊」。
看著妳,想起有次妳來找我,不說話只發悶。妳知道的,姊姊我聖經不是太熟,但因為從小在教會長大,聽長輩分享或為了拿獎品硬背經,幾處名言佳句逼急了我會想起來。我嘗試跟妳溝通,卻發現說再多話都像在撞牆。
我只好打開哥林多後書四章,跟姊姊一起讀好不好?
「但我們有這寶貝在瓦器裡,要顯明這超越的能力,是屬於神,不是出於我們。
我們四面受壓,卻不被困住;出路絕了,卻非絕無出路。遭逼迫,卻不被撇棄;打倒了,卻不至滅亡。
身體上常常帶著耶穌的治死,使耶穌的生命也顯明在我們的身體上。
所以我們不喪膽,反而我們外面的人雖然在毀壞,裡面的人卻日日在更新。
因為我們這短暫輕微的苦楚,要極盡超越的為我們成就永遠重大的榮耀。
我們原不是顧念所見的,乃是顧念所不見的。因為所見的是暫時的,所不見的才是永遠的。」
我稍微跟妳談一下當時的背景,說寫下這些話的保羅,是如何為著神的福音爭戰,相較之下,我們只是在自己的生活裡掙扎。但無論靈命深淺,願意經歷神的話就是好事。
而即便我們的才能、擔當與堅持能夠引以自豪、羨煞眾人,那不過只是瓦器的境界。只有轉向神,以祂為我們的秘訣,在難處中才能夠不被困住。
妳聽了,眉宇舒展許多,也是說了「謝謝姊姊」。
當時我以為自己經歷過瓦器裡的寶貝,其實只是略知一二,還好妳仍聽得懂我的解釋。我以為我明白甚麼叫做「四面受壓」與「出路絕了」,殊不知那些瀕死的心痛與絕望,在與妳分開後的人生中,正在前頭等著我去體會。
我抱抱妳,說謝謝妳讓我來找妳,不要謝我,感謝神。
感謝神,因為祂從未遠離。妳將要經過人生的更多面向,許多路我也還在走、甚至看不到出口。再把這處經節說給妳聽,也為了提醒自己,與妳分離的這些年來,我如何經歷神的真實,在所有的茫然中,祂沒有撇棄我,反倒成為我腳前的燈、路上的光。
為著祂曾領我走過的,我感謝,面對往後的未知,我更當覺得安然。所以親愛的,擦去妳的眼淚,我們不喪膽,因為知道神藉著周遭人事物打倒我們,不是為了滅亡,只為顯露我們的有限。當我們一次又一次被致於死地而復生,就一次比一次活著不敢再憑無定的自己,而是仰望祂,倚靠祂超越的生命、我們這平凡瓦器裡的寶貝。

感動~ 謝謝你的好文章~
Thank you!
Dear 錫安媽媽 I've been reading your blog and posts and book for a long time. I have always admired your courage and faith in the Lord. I just wanted to say that I am facing a difficult situation, in which my husband is emotionally attached to another woman. He is still with me, still loves me, but he is more attached to her. I have been praying with all my heart that God will bring him back to me, and also bring him back to God. I miss the godly man I married. Tonight, I was at my wit's end. I felt hopeless about the future. Lost and fearful and confused about what to do next. God has been with me all this time, and through your post, He has strengthened me. I wanted you to know that you have been a tremendous blessing to me. You reminded me to keep my eyes fixed on the Lord. My goal is not to find the perfect way to stay married even if he doesn't love me. My goal is not for me to win over my husband for myself but for the Lord. I need to trust and obey my Lord and Savior. Thank you, for reminding me that there will always be a way out. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
Dear Sis, The minute I saw your message, I crossed my fingers and prayed for you. Still praying now. I am not going to say I understand your pain, we all experience pain differently. However your words did bring me back to those breathless moments in my life; how I couldn't feel any oxygen in my lung every time I thought of future, monthly expenses and spending the rest of my life alone raising Zion. And I am not going to tell you those moments are gone. No, they still come to me from time to time. But somehow I realize that's how my Lord trains me to count on Him, to experience His grace through predicament, to understand the depth of His love and how true His words could be. I gave thanks to God that my trivial post is useful to you. You named yourself heartbroken, I believe only through a broken heart, we could turn to our spirit. You're in my prayers. Please take very good care of yourself, and keep in touch if you could. In Christ, Esther
Hi Esther, Thank you for your reply back in January. It was an encouragement from you. I wanted to let you know that my marriage is on a very slow mend. It's a long and complicated process, and the future is still unknown, but I am reminded that He works all things for the good, and that He has great plans for each of us. And having your prayer, and your blog gives me great comfort to know that I am not alone on this difficult journey of life. I wish you well in everything! 加油! JLT
You are still in my mind. Wish you well. God bless us.
錫安媽媽, 你好嗎?經過一年多,我只是想說謝謝你的禱告,和讓妳知道故事後來怎麼結束的。妳一定收到很多的留言; i just don't want to leave you hanging. 我的婚姻結束了。我不接受第三者,即使只是心靈上的,所以我選擇離開,一切重新開始:一份新的工作,新的環境。 But in the mean time, I drew closer to God and I have grown to know Him more. Your posts have continued to show me the grace of God in life, and let me know that starting over is do-able. Thank you. JLT
Dear JLT, Thank you for writing. I think of you when I log in to pixnet account, and wonder how you are and if everything has been sorted out. I am sorry to hear the split. It's not an easy path, but I believe you have given serious thoughts before making the decision. On the other hand, no path is easy, but every path will be full of His grace and deeper understanding of His leading, if we surrender ourselves to Him. I want you to know I'm here. Though not immediate, not able to give you a hug nor bring you a bowl of soup, I am here. Stay in touch and take extremely good of yourself, ok? Stay happy is not easy, but if we stay healthy, we have higher possibility to be happy. In Christ, Esther