Mom

She was a doctor's daughter. Had a privileged life, married a minister, raised four children, had a fairly tough life. Fragile physically and hurt emotionally.

Mom is beautiful, intelligent, spiritual, honest and dedicated. But she is also a little wounded, bitter, fragile and stubborn.

She taught piano. She painted. She did yoga and chi-gong. All she wants is peace.

Remember her cooking live eel, trying to steaming it by placing in a pot, but the eel escaped, fell to the floor and she chased it through the kitchen.

Remember my brother and I getting caught picking up leftover watermelon from the garbage can.

Remember thermometer incident. She was teaching piano.

Remember moving to new home, sister discover an old scrapbook filled with mom's exercise drawings from high school.


Her hands:

Remember her playing Chopin nocturne late at night.

Remember her painting chinese and water color. Practicing strokes faithfully.

Remember her washing washing board to wash clothes.

Remember cutting vegetables and cooking. the smell filling the house makes me feel loved and secure. (home)

Remember her making eggrolls at the restaurant.  Washing dishes. Cleaning. Hair pulled back. fatigue on her face. (restaurant)

Remember her hands massaging her shoulders, holding accupuncture magnets to ease her pain. Heating pad on her back, always taking a nap trying to recover.

Remember her complaining of pain of hand and wrist from her job as data processor, typing on the keyboard all day long.

Remember her gardening, planting and pruning. But now she has not even one plant.

The best way I can thank her is to be totally obedient, talk and visit her frequently and pray for her constantly.

I can never make up (no sons nor daughters can) make up for the huge chunk of life she sacrificed for me. Because of her I am who I am today good or bad, and I am eternally grateful, and will do anything for her.

一人犯罪, 全家受罰

聽 Charlene 說在主日學，因為她問了為什麼神因一人的罪要懲罰整家人，興起了熱烈的討論. 神如是愛, 那自然的如果一個人得救全家人也得救，是合情合理的.但是為什麼要懲罰無辜的家人呢?

神的公義不會讓有罪的逃過審判, 也不會讓無辜的傷害沒得補全. 但祂更是愛我們的神, 祂願意犧牲自己而解救我們. 只要我們從舊約與新約兩個盟約觀點來看這個以家作單位的意義, 神的旨意就很清楚.

家的代表就是我們與神的關係. 因神是完美聖潔的, 所以我們也必須完美聖潔才能與神合而為一. 以神的標準, 就算我們九項遵守(家), 而只一項(一人)不成 (罪:射偏), 就全都不能親近祂 (死的懲罰). 而從恩的盟約, 只因虔誠的信(一人)全部的罪(家)都被赦免(接受得救). 這是小範圍的解釋. 大範圍的可在羅馬書 5章19節找到:
Romans 5:19 因一人的悖逆、眾人成為罪人、照樣、因一 人的順從、眾人也成為義了。 
因亞當一人的罪, 他後代每一人都有罪, 因罪的生命由他而入; 但是神要救贖我們, 讓我們從耶穌的犧牲, 祂為一完美羔羊的寶血裡得到新生命, 永遠的生命. 罪沒有逃過, 罪已經在耶穌血淋淋的身體上受懲罰了!

這就是神在 "一人犯罪, 全家受罰" 和 "一人得救, 全家得救" 的精神與教導我們的認知; 要我們把生命交給耶穌在十字架達成的救恩, 而不是由不能完全的順服使自己和一家得救.

James