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經文：「那耕地為要撒種的，豈是常常耕地呢？」（賽28:24） 初夏的日子，我偶然走過一塊美麗的草場。場上的青草柔軟、濃密、純淨，就像一塊綠色的東方大地毯。草場的一隅長著一棵佳美的古樹，樹上佇立許多美麗的野鳥；晴朗的空中充滿著悅耳的鳥鳴。兩頭母牛躺臥在涼爽的樹蔭下，表現出一派輕鬆愜意。 路旁種植著黃色的蒲公英，當中點綴著紫色的紫羅蘭。我倚著竹籬呆望許久，盡情飽享了一頓美景，心中想著：神所造的宇宙中，大概沒有一處能比這裡更美麗可愛了。 第二天當我再次走過那條路，曾經美麗的圖畫竟然全被拆毀。一位農夫扶著鐵犁站在畦間，在一天之內造成整個的破壞；綠色的青草地沒了，留下的祇是一片醜陋光禿的黃土；鳴唱的野鳥也沒了，換來幾隻扒地啄蟲的母雞；路旁的蒲公英、美麗的紫羅蘭，全部都不見了。我憂愁婉惜地自語著：「如此美麗的事物，也有人忍心破壞嗎？」 那時，全能者開啟了我的眼光，讓我看見滿田的禾稼等待收割。我彷彿看見呆拙的稻草人，矗立在日光之下，彷彿聽見秋風拂過麥穗的響聲。那時我便領悟：若非經過那塊醜陋光禿的黃土，就得不到收割禾稼的豐盛光景。 親愛的讀者，神就是我們心田的農夫，祂常常來開墾我們的心田，將我們自以為美麗的事物拔去，留下光禿又難堪的光景；我們應該忍耐暫時的痛楚，仰望未來豐盛的收穫。--選 新譯｜荒漠甘泉讀書會
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Scripture: "Doth the plowman plow all day to sow?" (Isa. 28:24). One day in early summer I walked past a beautiful meadow. The grass was as soft and thick and fine as an immense green Oriental rug. In one corner stood a fine old tree, a sanctuary for numberless wild birds; the crisp, sweet air was full of their happy songs. Two cows lay in the shade, the very picture of content. Down by the roadside the saucy dandelion mingled his gold with the royal purple of the wild violet. I leaned against the fence for a long time, feasting my hungry eyes, and thinking in my soul that God never made a fairer spot than my lovely meadow. The next day I passed that way again, and lo! the hand of the despoiler had been there. A plowman and his great plow, now standing idle in the furrow, had in a day wrought a terrible havoc. Instead of the green grass there was turned up to view the ugly, bare, brown earth; instead of the singing birds there were only a few hens industriously scratching for worms. Gone were the dandelion and the pretty violet. I said in my grief, "How could any one spoil a thing so fair?" Then my eyes were opened by some unseen hand, and I saw a vision, a vision of a field of ripe corn ready for the harvest. I could see the giant, heavily laden stalks in the autumn sun; I could almost hear the music of the wind as it would sweep across the golden tassels. And before I was aware, the brown earth took on a splendor it had not had the day before. Oh, that we might always catch the vision of an abundant harvest, when the great Master Plowman comes, as He often does, and furrows through our very souls, uprooting and turning under that which we thought most fair, and leaving for our tortured gaze only the bare and the unbeautiful. --Selected Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh the deep furrows on my soul? I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop. --Samuel Rutherford ｜ Mrs. Charles Cowman
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