「回到小孩的樣式」- 從地上的母親，聯想到天上的父親 'Return to the state of a child', my mom on Earth makes me think of my Dad in Heaven

(English version at the bottom)

今天收到朋友傳來一篇文章，

是魏綺珊寫的［照片裏的回憶］，

裡面介紹一部日本電影［淺田家］，

原來家庭攝影這麼重要！

我也曾參考朋友的做法，

用手機翻拍了兒時的照片：

有朋友看見這些照片後回應，

說拍攝很專業，

問出於誰人之手，

我回應是爸爸。

其實這只是推理，

因為無從證實。

但一言驚醒夢中人！

何以認為照片專業呢？

於是我再細味照片，

始從媽媽的表情和身體語言中，

感受到母愛洋溢；

以及兒時的純真。

然後又想起主耶穌說，

我們要「回到小孩的樣式」才能進天國，

但究竟這是什麼意思？

照片中，

媽媽指引我望向某些東西，

我就更明白這句聖經了。

我要像小孩信靠母親般，

完全信靠主的帶領與看顧！

不再疑惑、不用顧慮。

如果沒有照片，

我完全想像不到自己兒時是什麼模樣。

我也曾懷疑過照片中那嬰兒的身份呢！

因為我無從認出嬰兒時期的自己。

我更完全想像不到，

一向嚴肅的媽媽，

會有如此忘我的表情！

她俯身就我，

無比關懷，

喜形於色，

這就是母愛了。

看見兒時的我，

眼神那麼專注，

彷彿意志堅定，

面無懼色，

充滿盼望，

也令我聯想起上主的愛，

我一生都要仰望祂！

一年前，

天父將媽媽猝然帶返天家。

雖然近日因懷緬她而一度傷感，

但幸好當年母親保留這些照片，

成為我今日的勉勵與安慰。

當年地上的父親，

一定意想不到，

他拍攝的照片，

將來會有如此功用！

半世紀以來，

相依為命的媽媽，

是我地上最愛的人，

也是地上最愛我的人。

我的媽媽，

一如傳統的中國婦女，

從不會將愛字宣之於口；

越近晚年，

當她的認知能力下降，

就越少能夠表現對我的愛；

但今日再次看見照片裡的她，

以及知道她因為想在天家永遠和我同在一起而決志信主，

便更肯定她對我有無比和不變的愛了！

後記

謝謝朋友的鼓勵與支持。

我最感恩的，

是媽媽在離世的前一年，

有一晚突然半夜四時半喚醒我，

主動明確地表示已經決定信主，

並且要返教會及盡快洗禮。

以她當時患有中度認知障礙，

她這行為絕對是一個奇蹟。

這亦顯明救恩是出於上主的恩典，

而且不單是對我媽媽的愛，

也是對我的愛！

因為媽媽對我至為重要，

也是我最深愛的人，

所以上主用祂的大能，

改變了她幾十年來的迷信態度，

並且拯救了她，賜她救恩。

我最愛的人也得享救恩，

這不單是主對媽媽的愛，

也是對我無比的愛！

Return to the state of a child

Thank you all for your encouragement and support. 

I am most grateful as my mom had clearly made the decision to believe in Jesus Christ on 15 October 2019 4:40a.m., a year before she passed away in 26 November 2020. 

This miraculous act reflected salvation is totally the grace of God, not out of her own wisdom. It's miraculous because my mom was originally a very superstitious person and she had moderate cognitive impairment in her final stage. She called me at 4:40a.m., literally 'in the middle' during her sleep, to voice her wish to go to church and get baptized as soon as possible, because she wanted to be with me in Heaven after death.

Her salvation has also shown God's love and grace for me, not just for my mom, as my mom is the most important person to me and the person I love most, so salvation granted to her is also out of God's love and grace for me.

Recently, in remembrance of her death, I was inevitably sad for a while, but when I reflect on these photos taken during childhood by my dad, they have given me great comfort and encouragement, as I could feel my mom's love as a mother for me through her body language and facial expression. 

From these photos, I am also reminded of Jesus's teaching that we should return to the state of a child before we can go into Heaven, but what is the meaning of this?

Just as I had totally trusted my mom on Earth(I could feel from my facial expression in the photos), I should also totally trust my Dad in Heaven that He(God) would take care of me and guide me in my future just as my mom had done!

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