神是我們的避難所，是我們的力量，是我們在患難中隨時的幫助！~詩篇46:1
BC省要解封了!
對於已經在防疫下陸陸續續封城與解封的我們，是另一階段的開始。會更好、或是變種病毒會重新來過，我們不知道，但對大多數打過疫苗的人而言，應該是一大福音。對於沒有接種疫苗的人而言，也許是另一個挑戰，因為戴口罩不再是強制規定，而使得無症狀的感染者成為潛在的危險，然而，這種不安與不確定性，會成為我們心裡的重擔，影響我們的心情，改變我們的習慣，不管你是否接種了疫苗，都會是心裡的一個事。那種擔心害怕是無形的。
回想過去的一年，從一開始看到疫情在中國和歐洲流行著，好像在看戲一般自以為北美不會有事，但是疫情的擴散速度，超過我們的想像，不只是餐廳、生活受影響，連帶工作和學校，停的停、關的關，失業或是停止營業就相伴而來，家家戶戶不再能串門、聚餐，換來的是停止社交活動和隔離。而醫院、醫療第一線的人員卻是加班到日月無光，口罩之下的勒痕與疲憊，讓人心痛。過去的生活，就如同我們七月份佳恩月曆上的作品《回歸田園生活》所表達的意境一般，家家相互隔離，外出時，人與人之間保持最少二公尺的間隔，不要群聚，分散而行。即使可以在餐廳用餐時也是隔板分開。家裡有院子、有花園的，就回歸田園生活，能不出門就不出門，不出門可能是我們對這個社會最大的貢獻。「看的見的不可怕，看不見的才可怕」，看不見的病毒帶來內心最深的恐懼，使人活在恐懼擔心中。
『神是我們的避難所，是我們的力量，是我們在患難中隨時的幫助!』，這是一篇錫安之歌，是透過稱頌耶路撒冷而讚美神。希西家王在位時，為躲避亞述王西拿基立的入侵，猶大人靠神的恩典度過了危難，這種經歷神恩典的親身感受，使整首詩歌在簡潔之中充滿力量，也在苦難中，點出人與神之間最信任的關係。這樣的詩歌，在歷代聖徒中都被歌頌著，記念著上帝在我們遭遇危難而得拯救的感動。神是看不見的，祂不會被建築空間給阻擋，也不會受地域彊界的限制，時間也無法限制神的愛，在舊約中，人稱祂為避難所，救我們脫離仇敵的手，在新約中，即使是患難、是困苦、是逼迫、是飢餓、是赤身露體、或是危險與刀劍，都不能使我們與基督的愛隔絕！從亙古至今，祂的能力依然彰顯，在疫情之中，祂依然開路。無論確診或沒確診、打了疫苗或沒打疫苗，戴口罩或不戴口罩，都不能使我們與基督的愛隔絕。
「避難所」，不是代表我們只能躲起來，而是代表有一個安全的歸屬，當我們有一個安全的地方，才能產生力量去走我們當行的路。我們不只能走熟悉穩當的道路，更可以帶著安全感去走那我們未曾走過的路，冒險的路或是不曾想像過的路。因為在人生的路上，就算遇到了阻礙、出了事，神能成為我們在患難中隨時的幫助。朋友，向前走，學習去冒險，不要怕，儘管去做，與神同行，無所畏懼！
God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble. ~Psalm 46:1
British Columbia is about to reopen!
It is a new beginning to us, who have experienced lockdowns and reopening during the pandemic. We don’t know if it will be better or if the mutation will come back. But for most people who are vaccinated, it should be a great blessing. For those who have not received their shots, it may be another challenge. Because wearing a mask is no longer mandatory in Stage 3, asymptomatic infected people might become a potential danger. Furthermore, this kind of anxiety and uncertainty will become a burden in our hearts, affecting our mood and changing our habits. It will affect you, vaccinated or not. And the fear is invisible.
Looking back on the past year, we saw the pandemic turned China and Europe upside down in the beginning. It felt like watching a movie and that North America would not be affected. However, the virus spread beyond our expectations and imaginations, and as a result, our life changed overnight. Restaurants were shut down, workplaces and schools were closed, accompanied by business suspension and unemployment. Households had to stay indoors and were not able to visit or have dinner with family and friends. Social activities stopped, isolations and quarantines started. Hospital staff and other front-line health workers were working overtime and nonstop. It was heart-wrenching to see marks on their faces from wearing masks and also how exhausted they were from work. Those memories are like the essence expressed in the art piece “Return to Bucolic Life” in July’s calendar. Households were separated, and people kept the social distance of at least two meters when out in public. Partitions were used for isolation even when we could dine in the restaurant. People who had a yard or garden returned to the pastoral life and stayed at home unless it was necessary to go out. Staying at home was being responsible on our part in this pandemic. “What you can see is not a threat; what can’t be seen is the real danger.” The invisible virus brings out the most profound fear and makes us live in worry.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” This is a song of Zion, praising God through praising Jerusalem. During the reign of King Hezekiah, in order to avoid the invasion of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the people of Judah survived the crisis by God’s grace. This personal experience of God’s grace made the whole poem full of strength in simplicity and also illustrated the most trusting relationship between men in suffering and God. Such poems have been sung among the saints throughout the ages, remembering God’s touch of salvation when we encountered peril. God is invisible. He will not be blocked by architectural space, nor will God be restricted by geographic boundaries, nor can time limit God’s love. In the Old Testament, he was called a refuge to save us from the enemy’s grasp. In the New Testament, even tribulation, hardship, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger and swords cannot separate us from the love of Christ. From the ancient to the present, His power is still manifesting, and He still opens the way during the pandemic. Whether confirmed positive or not, vaccinated or not, wearing a mask or not, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
“Refuge” does not mean that we can only hide, but that we have a safe place to belong. Only when we have a safe place can we generate the strength to walk the way we should go. We not only can take the stable and familiar road but can also take, with a sense of security, the road that we have never walked, the road of adventure or the road we have never imagined. Because on the road of life, even if we encounter obstacles or accidents, God can be our help in adversity at any time. Friends, go forth, learn to take risks, don’t be afraid, just do it, walk with God, be fearless!