In God’s power and love, draw closer to others while there’s time.

现在就靠着上帝的爱与能力，增进和亲人的关系。

He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Malachi 4:6 

他必使父亲的心转向儿女，儿女的心转向父亲。-玛拉基书4章6节

My father was a good father, and, in most respects, I was a dutiful son. But I allowed my father to starve for the one thing I could have given him: myself.

我有一位好父亲，而从各方面来看，我也是个尽责的儿子。但我们的关系并不亲密，我从未向他倾吐心声。

He was a quiet man; I was equally silent. We often worked for hours side-by-side with scarcely a word passing between us. He never asked; I never told him my deepest desires and dreams, my hopes and fears. 

我父亲很沉默，我也同样寡言。我们经常并肩工作数小时，却难得讲一句话。他从来不问，我也从未告诉他，我最深的渴望与梦想、我的希望与害怕。

In time I woke up to my reticence. Perhaps the perception came when my first son was born, or when, one by one, my sons went out into the world. Now I wish I had been more of a son to my father.

后来我终于从自己的沉默中醒悟过来。我开始有这样的感受，可能是在大儿子出生的时候，也可能是因为儿子们接二连三出世，让我有这种感觉。我但愿自己能对父亲敞开，做个更贴心的儿子。

I think of all the things I could have told him. And all the things he could have told me. At his funeral I stood beside his casket, struggling to understand my emotions. “It’s too late, isn’t it?” my wife said quietly. “Exactly.”

在父亲的丧礼上，我站在他的棺木旁边，想到有许多事都应该告诉他，以及有许多事他本来可以告诉我。我试着厘清自己的情绪，妻子轻轻地说：“太迟了，是不是？”“没错。”我回应。

My comfort lies in the fact that we’ll be able to set things right in heaven, for is that not where every tear will be wiped away? (Revelation 21:4).

但有一件事实让我感到欣慰，将来在天家我们再也不会有遗憾，因我们的眼泪在那里都会被擦去（启示录21章4节）。

For believers in Jesus, death is not the end of affection but the beginning of timeless existence in which there will be no more misunderstandings; relationships will be healed and love will grow forever. There, the hearts of sons will turn to their fathers and the hearts of fathers to their sons (Malachi 4:6). 

对相信耶稣的人来说，死亡并非情感的终点，而是永生的起点。在那里，不再有误会、关系得到恢复，并且爱要不断地增长；在那里，父亲的心转向儿女，儿女的心转向父亲（玛拉基书4章6节）。

Father, thank You for forgiving me and allowing me to experience a restored relationship with You. Help me to seek reconciliation in my broken relationships and deeper connections with others close to me even as I await the healing that will come in Your presence.

天父，谢谢祢饶恕我，让我与祢的关系得着修复。在我正等待见祢面，得到完全的医治时，帮助我努力修复破碎的关系，并与亲人的关系更亲密。

Ephesians 4:31-32    NIV

4 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

以弗所书 4:31-32 

4 一切苦毒、恼恨、愤怒、嚷闹、毁谤，并一切的恶毒，都当从你们中间除掉；32 并要以恩慈相待，存怜悯的心，彼此饶恕，正如神在基督里饶恕了你们一样。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Scripture is very realistic about the difficulty of reconciliation. A community made up of broken people (Ephesians 4:17–24) will struggle with unity. Still, Christ’s victory over all evil (vv. 7–10)—including in our hearts—means that we can have profound confidence that believers, as Christ’s body, will grow in unity as His love brings us together (vv. 15–16).  

圣经很实际地告诉我们，要与人和好并不容易。对一个由不完美的人所组成的群体来说（以弗所书4章17-24节），要合一确实很困难。尽管如此，因为基督已胜过了所有的邪恶（7-10节），包括我们心里的罪恶，我们就能坚定地相信，信徒能够在合一上长进（15-16节），因为祂的爱能将我们凝聚在一起。

But believers must “make every effort” (v. 3) to cultivate a community committed to “speaking the truth in love” (v. 15)—holding each other accountable for exchanging our natural lifestyles (vv. 25–29; 5:3–18) for the Spirit’s “way of love” (5:2, 18–20).

不过，信徒也要“竭力”（3节）成为一个愿意“用爱心说诚实话”的群体（15节），彼此监督帮助，使我们从所习惯的生活方式（25-29节，5章3-18节），转变为在圣灵里爱的方式（5章2、18-20节）。

Most important, cultivating unity requires a forgiving, grace-filled spirit (4:32; 5:2) through the power of Christ’s Spirit, who loved us long before we loved Him.

要培养合一，最重要的是有一颗宽容、爱人的心（4章32节，5章2节）。那位早在我们爱祂之前，就深爱我们的基督，祂会帮助我们，赐我们能力。

This side of eternity, persistent sin may make it impossible for some relationships to be fully restored. Yet we can rest in Christ’s victory, trusting that His love and power will one day bring all of God’s children to perfect unity.

我们生活在这世上，因为罪的缘故，可能会使某些关系无法完全恢复。然而，靠着那得胜的基督，我们深信最终有一天，祂的爱和能力，会让上帝的儿女完全合一。

整理：于姊妹