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經文：「...是要我們得益處...。」(來12:10) 在 Ralph Connor 的著作，關於山野少女葛文的故事中說起：葛文本來個性頑皮任性，直到某日遇到一場嚴重意外成了殘廢。臥病在床期間，她的性情變得更加暴躁。當她在怨天尤人的時後，「天的嚮導」來看望她。所謂「天的嚮導」是山中居民對傳教士的尊稱。 傳教士為她講了一個峽谷的寓言：說起地球最初只有一望無際的原野，並沒有峽谷。原野的主人某日外出散步，看見大地上只長著青草，就問原野：「你的花在那呢？」原野回答說：「主人，我沒有種子。」於是主人吩咐禽鳥把各類花的種子帶來，四處播種。不久原野上就開出了番紅、玫瑰、水豆、毛莨、向日葵、紅今蘭，以及一些耐熱的夏季花卉。 主人看了很高興，但是找不到最心愛的幾種花。他就對原野說：「還要有鐵線蓮、鬥菜、紫羅蘭、白頭翁、風尾草和其它開花的灌木」 於是再吩咐禽鳥把所有的種子都帶來，四處播種。但是當主人再來的時候，還是找不到最心愛的幾種花。他就問說：「那些可愛的花呢？」原野悲哀地說：「主人，我無法保存它們。因爲狂風拼命吹刮，烈陽炙烤大地，它們耐不住原野的氣候，就都零落凋萎了。」 於是主人吩咐閃電劈開原野的胸懷。而原野在劇痛中顫抖哀號，爲那漆黑又崎嶇的裂口悲痛呻吟了許多日子。 直到河水湧進了裂口，也帶入深黑的沃土。然後禽鳥重把種子叼來，在谷中播種。過了一段漫長的時間後，粗糙的岩石上鋪滿了柔軟的青苔和綿延的藤蔓；各處角落都垂挂著鐵線蓮和鬥菜；壯碩的榆樹仰起粗壯的枝幹向著頂上的陽光高升，樹根周遭圍繞著矮杉和風仙；到處都有紫羅蘭、白頭翁、孔雀草在生長開花。原野和峽谷終於成為主人所尋求的安息、平安、喜樂的心愛之地。 傳教士講完故事，就對少女說：「聖靈所結的果子，也可稱之為聖靈的花。那些包括愛、喜樂、平安、堅忍、溫和等，其中有些只能在峽谷生長。」葛文輕聲問：「是哪些花只能在峽谷中生長呢?」。傳教士回說：「溫和、謙卑、忍耐、仁愛、喜樂、平安，雖然能在原野綻放，但若生長在峽谷，它們將會更美麗，更芬芳。」 葛文沉默了好一會，然後嘴唇顫抖地自言自語道：「在我的峽谷裏沒有花，只有粗糙醜陋的岩石。」於是傳教士告訴她： 「親愛的葛文，總有一天它們會開出花來，主會發現，我們也都會看見的。」 親愛的讀者，當你淪入自己的峽谷時，請記得這句話！ 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會
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Scripture: "For our profit" (Heb. 12:10). In one of Ralph Connor's books he tells a story of Gwen. Gwen was a wild, wilful lassie and one who had always been accustomed to having her own way. Then one day she met with a terrible accident which crippled her for life. She became very rebellious and in the murmuring state she was visited by the Sky Pilot, as the missionary among the mountaineers was termed. He told her the parable of the canyon. "At first there were no canyons, but only the broad, open prairie. One day the Master of the Prairie, walking over his great lawns, where were only grasses, asked the Prairie, 'Where are your flowers?' and the Prairie said, 'Master I have no seeds.' "Then he spoke to the birds, and they carried seeds of every kind of flower and strewed them far and wide, and soon the prairie bloomed with crocuses and roses and buffalo beans and the yellow crowfoot and the wild sunflowers and the red lilies all summer long. Then the Master came and was well pleased; but he missed the flowers he loved best of all, and he said to the Prairie: 'Where are the clematis and the columbine, the sweet violets and wind-flowers, and all the ferns and flowering shrubs?' "And again he spoke to the birds, and again they carried all the seeds and scattered them far and wide. But, again, when the Master came he could not find the flowers he loved best of all, and he said: "'Where are those my sweetest flowers?' and the Prairie cried sorrowfully: "'Oh, Master, I cannot keep the flowers, for the winds sweep fiercely, and the sun beats upon my breast, and they wither up and fly away.' "Then the Master spoke to the Lightning, and with one swift blow the Lightning cleft the Prairie to the heart. And the Prairie rocked and groaned in agony, and for many a day moaned bitterly over the black, jagged, gaping wound. "But the river poured its waters through the cleft, and carried down deep black mould, and once more the birds carried seeds and strewed them in the canyon. And after a long time the rough rocks were decked out with soft mosses and trailing vines, and all the nooks were hung with clematis and columbine, and great elms lifted their huge tops high up into the sunlight, and down about their feet clustered the low cedars and balsams, and everywhere the violets and wind-flower and maiden-hair grew and bloomed, till the canyon became the Master's favorite place for rest and peace and joy." Then the Sky Pilot read to her: "The fruit--I'll read 'flowers'--of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness--and some of these grow only in the canyon." "Which are the canyon flowers?" asked Gwen softly, and the Pilot answered: "Gentleness, meekness, longsuffering; but though the others, love, joy, peace, bloom in the open, yet never with so rich a bloom and so sweet a perfume as in the canyon." For a long time Gwen lay quite still, and then said wistfully, while her lips trembled: "There are no flowers in my canyon, but only ragged rocks." "Some day they will bloom, Gwen dear; the Master will find them, and we, too, shall see them." Beloved, when you come to your canyon, remember! ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman
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