小木屋著火时在一场船难中,唯一的生存者随着潮水, 漂流到了一座无人岛上。 The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.
他天天激动地祈祷神救他能够早日离开此处,回到家乡。 他还每天注视着海上有否可搭救他的人, 但却是除了汪洋一片,什么也没有。 He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
后来,他决定用那片带他到小岛的木头造一个简陋的小木屋 以保护他在这险恶的环境中生存,并且保存他所有剩下的东西。 Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
但有一天,在他捕完食物后,准备回小屋时, 突然发现他的小屋竟然陷在熊熊烈火之中, 大火引起的浓烟不断向天上窜。 But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.
最悲惨的是:他所有的一切东西,在这一瞬间, 通通化为乌有了。悲痛的他,气愤的对天吶喊着: 「神啊!你怎么可以这样对待我!」 顿时,眼泪从他的眼角中流出。 The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.
第二天一早,他被一艘正靠近小岛的船只的鸣笛声所吵醒。 是的,有人来救他了。 Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.
到了船上时,他问那些船员说:「你怎么知道我在这里?」 "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.
「因为我们看到了信号般的浓烟。」他们回答说。 "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
人在碰到困难时,很容易会沮丧。 不过,无论受到折磨或者痛苦,都不用因此失去信心, 因为神一直在我们心里面做着奇妙的工作。 It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.
记着:当下一次你的小木屋着火时, 那可能只是神美妙恩典的表征而已。 Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
在所有我们所认为负面的事情,神都是有正面答案的。 For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer.
"God has a positive answer", doesn't means "God will provide a human's happy ending".
Surely everything God provided is Good, it is just that a ship is not guaranteed. It might be a death instead, what man needs to do is to accept it happily.