This Spiritual Waimai is a part of a series entitled, “Christmas Interrupted”. When God’s plan and your life plan intersect, there will interruptions that lead to participating in God’s glorious plan.
本文是“中断的圣诞节”系列文章之一。当你的人生计划遭遇神的计划，你的计划会中断，这中断将要带你参与神的荣耀计划中。
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When your life plan is surrendered to God’s epic plan, amazing things happen.
如果将你的人生计划降服在神的宏伟计划中，就会有奇妙的事情发生。
在圣诞期间我们都喜欢看这些可爱的画面: 歌唱的美丽天使，粗犷的牧羊人，慷慨大方的博士和一位美丽的母亲、父亲和圣婴。这幅画非常宁静，美丽，充满田园风光。但是为了在荣耀的降生场景中获得一个梦寐以求的角色，每个人物都必须做出牺牲。当我们仔细看这个圣诞故事时，会发现故事情节并非如此的平静祥和。它充满了不确定性、失望、震惊，最终是降服
Almost all of the people in the biblical Christmas story are unusual and find themselves in hard circumstances. Each person in the enchanting Christmas story endured struggles that you would probably want to avoid yourself.
圣经中的圣诞故事，几乎每个人都非同寻常，都发现自己身处困境。引人入胜的圣诞故事中的每一个人物都经历了你想要避免的难处。
- Zechariah and Elizabeth were an elderly couple who served at the temple but lived their
whole married lives longing for children yet had none. Zechariah prayed for children but God did not answer. Elizabeth felt disgrace at being barren. Would you want to be in their situation
- 撒加利亚和伊利沙伯是对年迈的夫妇，他们在圣殿服侍，一生都渴望能生儿育女，但始终未能遂愿。撒加利亚祷告想有一个孩子，但神没有垂听。伊利沙伯为不育感到羞耻。你会想置身于他们的境况之中吗？
- Mary and Joseph were single yet pledged to be married. But before the marriage, Mary became pregnant which meant Joseph’s fiancé was going to have a baby before the planned wedding. This is not exactly what you dream about when you look forward to your happy wedding day.
- 马利亚和约瑟尚是单身，然而但已经订婚。但是在婚前，马利亚却怀孕了，这就是说约瑟的未婚妻在计划中的婚礼前怀了孩子。在期待幸福的婚礼时，这大概不会是你的梦想。
- The shepherds were common workers with no status. They were obscure laborers working the night shift. Would you dream of having their life? Probably not.
- 牧羊人是没什么社会地位的普通劳动者。他们是一群晚上做工的不起眼的劳力。你会梦想拥有他们的生活吗？多半不会。
- You might admire the wisemen’s prestigious life. But would you travel for months, or even years following a star to an unknown destination?
- 也许你敬仰三博士的有名望的生活。但你愿意跋涉数月甚至数年，跟随一颗星星到一个未知的目的地吗？
All of these people had a uniquely hard life circumstance that they had to endure. Each one’s life was interrupted when their life plan intersected with God’s epic plan to save the world. At that point of intersection, there was a point of hardship, pain, disappointment and surrender.
所有这些人都必须经受独特的艰难处境。在他们的人生计划遭遇神拯救世界的宏伟计划时，他们每一个人的人生都被打断了。在那个交叉点上有艰难、痛苦、失望和降服。
How did they make it through their difficult moment? They did not consider their own personal life plan as the most important plan. Each one of them in a different way surrendered to God’s plan. When they did that, their life of hardship was transformed gaining for them an immortal place in God’s glorious nativity scene playing a pivotal role in God’s great plan to bring salvation to the earth through Jesus Christ.
他们如何度过自己的艰难时刻？他们没有把自己的人生计划当作最重要的计划，而是每一个人以不同的方式降服于神的计划。当他们降服时，他们艰难的生活被转化，使他们在神荣耀的降生一幕中占有一席之地。而在神透过耶稣基督把救恩带到世上的伟大计划中，基督的降生起着关键的作用。
When each of these characters surrendered to God’s plan, their personal life plan took an incredible turn for the better. It is apparent that though God is focused on His epic plan for the world, He is also keenly aware of the individual needs, heart cries and longings of each person.
当他们每一个人降服于神的计划时，他们各自的人生计划有了无比美好的转变。很明显，尽管神关专注于他对关乎世界的宏伟计划，衪也深深明白每一个人各自的需要、内心里的呼喊和渴望。
Let’s take a look at the main players in the beautiful Christmas story and see what happened when God’s plan intersected their life plan.
让我们看看美丽的圣诞故事中的主要人物，看看他们的计划遭遇神的计划时发生了什么。
God heard Zechariah’s prayers and removed Elizabeth’s disgrace by gifting them with an incredible son who would grow up to become John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah. When John was born, his parents praised the Lord. Zechariah proclaimed:
神垂听了撒加利亚的祷告，除去了伊利沙伯的羞耻，赐给他们一位伟大的儿子，这儿子将成长为施洗约翰，为耶稣预备道路。
“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Luke 1:76-80 NIV
孩子啊，你要称为至高者的先知；因为你要行在主的前面，预备他的道路，叫他的百姓因罪得赦，就知道救恩；因我们神怜悯的心肠，叫清晨的日光从高天临到我们，要照亮坐在黑暗中死荫里的人，把我们的脚引到平安的路上。”那孩子渐渐长大，心灵强健，住在旷野，直到他显明在以色列人面前的日子。
路加福音1:76-80
As Zechariah and Elizabeth enjoyed their son in their sunset years, they must have knowingly looked at each other and said, “It was worth the wait.” The had surrendered their life plan to God’s plan and their son John was mighty in the Lord.
在垂暮之年跟儿子共享天伦之乐时，撒加利亚和伊利沙伯一定会会心地看着对方，说：“等候是值得的。”他们将自己的人生计划降服在神的计划中，他们的儿子在主的里面大有能力。
Mary and Joseph surrendered their wedding plans to God. The young couple each had to choose to obey God’s call to raise Jesus Christ. Joseph was assured by God in a dream and Mary did not face shame as an unwed mother but received great honor as God’s highly favored. Mary’s response to God’s great plan is recorded in her famous song.
马利亚将自己的婚礼计划降服于神。这对年轻的夫妇必须各自选择顺服神的呼召，来养育耶稣基督。神在梦里使约瑟安心，马利亚也没有面临未婚妈妈的耻辱，反而获得巨大的荣耀，称为为神所悦纳的。马利亚对神伟大计划的回应 记载在她著名的颂歌里：
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.”
Luke 1:46-49 NIV
马利亚说：“我心尊主为大，我灵以神我的救主为乐。因为他顾念他使女的卑微，从今以后，万代要称我有福。那有权能的，为我成就了大事，他的名为圣。
路加福音1:46-49
Mary and Joseph might not have enjoyed a beautiful wedding ceremony and honeymoon first year of marriage. But their surrendered lives were used by God to bring salvation to the world.
马利亚和约瑟 或许没有拥有一个美丽的婚礼，在成婚第一年也没享受到蜜月。但神 使用他们降服的生命 将救恩 带到世上。
The shepherd might have been unknown night workers, but they were honored with a performance from the heavenly host not only proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ but they also commissioned the shepherds with finding the child and announcing his birth.
牧羊人或许是不知名的在晚上工作的劳力，但他们受到尊荣，天军歌唱并向他们宣扬耶稣基督降生的消息，而且差派他们去找到婴孩并宣布他的降生。
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:16-18 NIV
他们急忙去了，就寻见马利亚和约瑟，又有那婴孩卧在马槽里。既然看见，就把天使论这孩子的话传开了。凡听见的，就诧异牧羊之人对他们所说的话。
路加福音2:16-18
The wisemen were rewarded for their commitment to journey far as they were welcomed to worship at the feet of the King of Kings.
博士因有志于长途跋涉而得到回报，大受欢迎在万王之王脚前敬拜。
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:10-11 NIV
他们看见那星，就大大地欢喜。进了房子，看见小孩子和他母亲马利亚，就俯伏拜那小孩子，揭开宝盒，拿黄金、乳香、没药为礼物献给他。
马太福音2:10-11
Though they were travel weary and gave up an incredible amount of time to chase a star, they were the first to offer the gifts to the King of Kings.
尽管他们旅途辛苦，花了很长时间追随一颗星星，他们是第一批向万王之王献上礼物的人。
Our God is both epic and personal. We see this in the Christmas story. God has an epic plan for all of humankind to bring salvation to the world. He also cares about Elizabeth’s disgrace, He hears Zechariah’s prayers, He assures Joseph and honors Mary. As God’s plan and each of the Christmas story characters’ life plans intersected, there was a point of personal hardship. But as each one focused on the Lord’s plan and not their own life and surrendered their plan to His, they experienced God’s glory. When God’s plan and your life plan intersect, what will you do?
我们的神既是宏伟的 又是个人的。在圣诞故事中，我们可以明白这一点。神为全人类有一个宏伟的计划，要将救恩带到世上。但祂也关注伊利沙伯的耻辱。祂听见了撒加利亚的祷告。祂使约瑟安心，给马利亚尊荣。当神的计划和圣诞故事中每一个人物的人生计划交叉时，这个人会很艰难。但当他们聚焦神的计划而不是自己的生活，当他们将自己的计划降服在神的计划中时，他们就会经历到神的荣耀。当神的计划和你的人生计划交叉时，你会怎么做？
