What is in a Quilt? 被子里是什么？

Now this blog includes a Mandarin Chinese Translation, thanks to my friend in China – Lisa! Thank you, Lisa, for your work, and thank you more for your friendship, worth more than fine gold!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7 – The Message)
你们心里不要忧愁。你们信神，也当信我。在我父的家里有许多住处，若是没有，我就早已告诉你们了。我去原是为你们预备地方去。我若去为你们预备了地方，就必再来接你们到我那里去。我去那里，叫你们也去那里。我往哪里去，你们知道；那条路，你们也知道。托马斯对他说：“主啊，我们不知道你往哪里去，怎么知道那条路呢？”耶稣说“我就是道路、真理、生命，若不籍着我，没有人能到父那里去。你们若认识我，也就认识我的父。从今以后，你们认识他，并且已经看到他。” （约翰福音14:1-7）

It was a day that caused the teeth to chatter, as a family met to celebrate the life of a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister-in-law, an aunt. Inside Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethern Church in central Kansas, the family was surrounded by church family and friends. After the rich harmony of the trio, Scripture read by a grandson, two hymns led by the son, and a sketch of Edna Koop Suderman’s life, read by a granddaughter, Gaylord Goertzen took his place at the podium.
这是一个令人不语不休的一天，因为一个家庭聚在一起庆祝一位妻子，一位母亲，一位祖母，一位嫂子，还有一位婶婶的一生。在Kansas中心的Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethern 教堂里，这个家庭的四周环绕着教堂的大家庭成员们和朋友们。在优美和谐的三重唱后，由一名孙子读经文，儿子领唱两首赞美诗，孙女则宣读介绍Edna Koop Suderman 生平的文稿，Gaylord Goertzen 则坐在指挥台上。

Beside him hung a quilt with various colors, patterns and many stitches. As Gaylord spoke, he told of quilt and how it came to be made and how it resembled the life of Edna Koop Suderman. For God chose colors from the vast array of colors he created in creation. He chose the green from the lush greenery that graced the earth. He chose the rich maroon of autumn leaves. He chose the rainbow colors reflected in his flowers for His purposes. He chose a few dark colors that contrasted with the bright colors and made them more brilliant. Then He set the pattern and laid out the pieces. He chose how those pieces would form the pattern.
在他的旁边挂着一床色彩鲜艳、带图案和许多针线缝合的被子。在Gaylord讲话时，他讲了有关被子以及其如何缝制而成，以及它由如何象征了Ena Koop Suderman 的一生。因为上帝从他创造宇宙的丰富颜色中选择颜色。他从装点地球的富饶的草木中选择绿色；他从秋天的叶子中选择栗色；他为了他的目的从他的花所折射的颜色中选择了彩虹之色。然后他设计图案并采集布片。他选择能形成所设计的图案的布片。

We must not forget the stitches that held the myriad of patterns and colors together. A stitch a day holds the quilt together. And that stitch must be consistently straight and tiny, one that outlines the patterns in the quilt. It takes nimble fingers and a clear eye and a strong will to finish the stitches. This is what Edna Suderman did, not just with the many quilts made in her lifetime, but with the quilt of her life.
我们不能忘记那数不清的缝线，使得无数种图案和颜色组合在一起。一天一针能缝一条被子。并且这种缝合必须始终如一的笔直和细微，才能勾勒出被子上的图案。只有敏捷的手指、明亮的眼睛和坚强的意志才能完成如此多的缝针。这正是Edna Suderman所做的，不是她的一生中的许多床被子，而是她的生命的被子。

God steadied her hand as she continued stitching her life. He listened to her prayers and created someone with compassion day by day, stitch by stitch. When the color suddenly turned black when her baby Larry died, it contrasted with the beauty and gift of another child within a year. When God saw that the quilt had been finished, He called Edna home. There will be a reunion when God sees that our individual quilts are finished.
在她的一生的持续的缝合中，上帝坚定了她的手。他听到了她的祈祷，并在这一天一天和一针又一针中带着爱心创造了后代。当颜色突然转黑，当她的宝宝Larry 不幸去世时，她又得到了漂亮的小礼物她的第二个宝宝。当上帝看到被子终于完成时，他呼唤她回家了。当上帝看到我们每个人的被子织成时，将是我们再一次相会的时候。

While thinking of the quilt analogy, it suddenly occurred to me that God creates a pattern and the colors of each church family. We see the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in the lives of each – and in doing so we contribute our own stitches to the corporate quilt of each church family.
从被子推想开来，我忽然想到，上帝为每一个教堂的家庭创造了一种图案和多种颜色。我们看到每个人生命中的精神的果实 – 并且在这样做的同时我们将我们自己的缝针奉献给了每一个教堂家庭织成的共同的被子。

But let’s broaden our vision to the world-wide quilt in this generation, or beyond. When something goes awry in our lives, we tend to comfort ourselves by saying, “God is in control”. Indeed, He is. Do we see the intricacies of the design of the world quilt through the ages? No matter where we find ourselves, do we see His love? Do we follow His lead? Do we add dark colors of rebellion to the quilt? Do we stray from His Pattern? What is a Quilt? It provides comfort, love, security and memories. It conveys the story of people. How do we contribute to His quilt?
但是请让我们拓宽我们的视野，想到我们这个时代的世界之被，或者更远。在我们的生活中当某些事情出现错误时，我们倾向于安慰我们自己，“一切在上帝的控制之中”。确实，他是的。我们看到经过几个世纪的世界之被的设计的错综复杂吗？不管我们在哪里找到了我们自己，我们看到了他的爱吗？我们跟随了他的领导吗？我们将反叛的深色加到了被子中吗？我们偏离了他的图案吗？被子是什么？它提供了舒适、爱、安全和记忆。它传递着人们的故事。我们对他的被子能贡献什么？

It is our place to stand fast in Him and to follow where He leads through fields of flowers, valleys dark with sorrow as well as the mundane everyday-ness of life. God walks beside us as we look to Him!
我们的位置是与他坚定的站在一起，跟随他的指引，穿过鲜花的田野，穿越带着悲伤的黑暗的峡谷，以及穿越世俗的平淡无奇的生命。当我们向他走去时上帝走在我们身旁。

The good life begins in the fear of God— Do that and you’ll know the blessing of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever! Psalm 111:10

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