Jesus has made true love possible.

在基督里有真爱，我们也能彼此相爱。

Many proclaim themselves loyal, but who can find one worthy of trust? Proverbs 20:6 

“I just can’t trust anyone,” my friend said through tears. “Every time I do, they hurt me.”  Her story angered me—an ex-boyfriend, whom she really thought she could trust, had started spreading rumors about her as soon as they broke up. Struggling to trust again after a pain-filled childhood, this betrayal seemed just one more confirmation that people could not be trusted.

朋友哭着说：“我再也不相信任何人了，每次我相信他们，他们就伤害我。”她的经历令我感到愤怒，她原本信赖的男友，却在他们分手后，到处散布关于她的谣言。她的童年充满伤痛，本就让她对人难以信任，再加上这样的打击，似乎又再度证实人真的不可相信。

I struggled to find words that would comfort. One thing I could not say was that she was wrong about how hard it is to find someone to fully trust, that most people are completely kind and trustworthy. Her story was painfully familiar, reminding me of moments of unexpected betrayal in my own life. In fact, Scripture is very candid about human nature. In Proverbs 20:6, the author voices the same lament as my friend, forever memorializing the pain of betrayal.

我不知道如何安慰她，我也无法告诉她，其实她错了，要找到可以相信的人并不难，大部分的人也都是善良和值得信任的。我能深切体会她的痛苦，因为我也曾有过一段意想不到、遭人背叛的经历。事实上，圣经也非常直接地描述人性。箴言20章6节中，记录了被人背叛的伤痛，作者这样的哀叹跟我的朋友是一样的。

What I could say is that the cruelty of others is only part of the story. Although wounds from others are real and painful, Jesus has made genuine love possible. In John 13:35, Jesus told His disciples that the world would know they were His followers because of their love. Although some people may still hurt us, because of Jesus there will also always be those who, freely sharing His love, will unconditionally support and care for us. Resting in His unfailing love, may we find healing, community, and  courage to love others as He did.

但我能够说的是，虽然有些人的确冷酷无情，有些人也会对我们造成痛苦的伤害，但在耶稣里却有真爱。在约翰福音13章35节，耶稣告诉门徒，他们若能彼此相爱，世人就能认出他们是祂的门徒。尽管有些人可能还会伤害我们，但因着耶稣，总会有人乐意分享耶稣的爱，愿意无条件地支持和关心我们。愿我们能因耶稣永不止息的爱，心灵得医治，融入群体，有勇气像耶稣一样地爱人。

John 13:33-35New International Version (NIV)

33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

约翰福音 13:33-35Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

33 小子们，我还有不多的时候与你们同在，后来你们要找我，但我所去的地方你们不能到。这话我曾对犹太人说过，如今也照样对你们说。 34 我赐给你们一条新命令，乃是叫你们彼此相爱，我怎样爱你们，你们也要怎样相爱。 35 你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。”

整理：于姊妹