拆毁與重建 ... Tear down, and then rebuild

(English at the bottom)

半年前的照片，鈎起這十年來種種拆毀與重建的經歷......

去年十月中，時已初秋，

有天黃昏前，在街上抬頭仰天，

蔚藍天色之中，見優雅素描畫作。

那是九月颶風災後一個月，

樹木雖經歷浩劫，但時已踏入初秋，

為了製造食物儲糧過冬，唯有趕快催生，

重新開枝散葉，在冬天來臨前作最後準備吧？

在藍天背景下，照片背光而攝，

成為一幅幅大自然的單色素描畫。

為了盡量吸收陽光，枝葉互不重疊，

所以生長形態疏落有序，清晰可見；

加上枝條柔軟，形態更顯優雅。

重生令人想起重建。早前聽道內容提及以色列人重建耶路撒冷城牆；但沒有拆毀，豈有重建？城牆因遭人拆毀，後有重建。人的重生，也是要先「拆毀」老我，才能建立新的屬靈生命。

正如今天讀到哥林多後書，使徒保羅如此寫：『所以我們不喪膽；外體雖然毁壞，內心却一天新似一天。(4:16)......

我們原知道，我們這地上的帳棚若拆毀了，必得神所造，不是人手所造，在天上永存的房屋。(5:1)......

若有人在基督裏，他就是新造的人；舊事已過，都變成新的了。(5:17)』

下星期復活節將臨，也是先有主基督的死，才有我們的重生。地上的帳棚，需要先被拆毁，才有重建。

Tear down, and then rebuild

Photos taken half a year ago have reminded me of the tearing down and rebuilding processes that I have been undergoing in the last decade. 

Last mid-October, I saw these sights when I looked up at the sky before sunset. It was a month after the hurricane almost tore down all the trees along this road.

As it was stepping into Autumn then, the trees grew branches and leaves in order to prepare for its ‘food’ for the cold and dry winter. The trees were smart enough not to overlap branches and leaves in order to capture more sunshine. So the branches and leaves created beautiful artwork with a blue sunny sky as the backdrop.

The reborn of leaves has reminded me of rebuild, just as Israelis returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city wall after it was tore down by enemies.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote:

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.(4:16) …For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.(5:1)…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!(5:17).” 

Easter is approaching. If Jesus has not died for our sin, there would not be rebirth in our life. God would continuously tear down our old self in order to rebuild our new life in Him.

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