The Treasure Nurtured by the Moon

 The Treasure Nurtured by the Moon

I have a friend whose eight-year-old daughter still couldn’t walk.
He already had a son and a daughter, and when his wife gave birth to another girl, he was overjoyed. But when this youngest daughter reached the age when most children start walking, she still couldn’t stand—she could only crawl. His joy turned to despair. He had only planned to raise two children, but his wife insisted on a third, and because of that, he often blamed her for their situation.

Every day after work, he would drag his weary body home to a silent house. The little girl would crawl to greet her father, and each time he felt an impulse to “pick her up and throw her out the window.”
“If only you weren’t here, our family would be fine… you’re the root of all our problems.”

The couple visited every famous doctor in the country, holding onto their daughter, but none could help her walk.

When he was at his lowest point, a Christian coworker told him that the pastor who founded their church was coming to town and suggested he bring his daughter for prayer. He had always been hostile toward the church.
“Even doctors have given up—what good will prayer do?”
But somehow, his heart was drawn to the church.

He brought his daughter for prayer.
Afterward, a pastor offered to talk with him, and he listened. The words he heard were unlike anything he’d ever known—they opened his eyes and stirred his spirit. The next day, he went again to hear more. On the third day, he came home, lifted his crawling daughter into his arms, and shouted:
“You are the treasure of our family!”

“Because of you, I’ve received salvation! My sins are gone—I am justified! Honey, you must hear this too, and be saved!”

He shared with his confused wife the message he had heard. The next day, she went with him to church—and she too was saved.

The house that had long felt like a place of mourning was now filled with laughter. The little girl, still crawling, didn’t understand what was happening but laughed along with them.

“Honey,” he said, “let’s move closer to the church so we can keep hearing the Word.”
They found a small house for rent just next to the chapel and moved in. Their daughter naturally began playing with the other children from church.

One day, on his way home from work, he walked past the church—and froze in disbelief. His daughter was standing, holding onto the wall. This child who had crawled for eight years was standing on her own.

By watching the other children walk, she had learned to stand—and soon she began taking steps, one after another. Her gait was a little awkward, but she could walk and even run with the other children.

Now, nearly thirty years old, she has graduated from college and become a capable, faithful young woman. Her father, now a mature man of faith, lives a blessed life, eagerly awaiting the birth of his grandchild.

He often says:
“I always pursued what I desired in my heart, but God gave me the most precious treasure instead. Through this child, I heard the gospel, received salvation, and gained eternal life.”

“With the precious fruits brought forth by the sun,
And with the treasures nurtured by the moon.”
— Deuteronomy 33:14

When Moses blessed Joseph, he mentioned both “the work of the sun” and “the work of the moon.” The sun ripens fruits through photosynthesis—a process everyone delights in because it produces visible results. People love the fruit but often ignore the process that brings it forth.

Let me share a poem I love:

---

A Red Jujube

There is no way it reddens on its own—
Surely, many typhoons,
Many thunders,
Many lightnings
Have entered it,
Turning it red and ripe.

There is no way it rounds by itself—
Surely, many frosty nights,
Many scorching suns,
Many crescent moons and sparse stars
Have entered it,
Making it whole and complete.

Oh, red jujube—
You truly understand the ways of the world.

---

Every autumn, jujubes ripen—it’s something we take for granted.
But the poet reminds us that no fruit ripens without reason. Before it falls ripe from the branch, the jujube must endure countless trials: typhoons, thunder, lightning, frost, and blazing sun. These very hardships—painful as they are—are the priceless forces that make the fruit red, round, and sweet.

The sun ripens beautiful fruits, but what does the moon do?
The moon governs what happens in the dark nights of our lives—those unbearable, unexpected, burdensome experiences: storms, thunder, lightning, frost, and scorching heat. Such things, though we dread them, are the “works of the moon.”

Not only the bright, pleasant things enrich our lives. Trials and pains—those that burden and break us—are what truly nurture the most precious fruits in our hearts and make us grow.

God gives us both the beautiful fruits ripened by the sun and the treasures nurtured by the moon.
When we learn from Him, even in hardship, we can face everything with hope.

月亮养成的宝物

 

我认识一个朋友，他有一个年满八岁却不会走路的女儿。

此前，他育有一儿一女，后又添一女，令他喜不胜收。可没想到此女长到该走路的年龄，也无法行走，只是匍匐而行，这令他无比绝望。他本来只打算精心培养一儿一女，却架不住妻子坚持要三子，因而对生下此幼女的妻子常常抱怨。

每天下班之后，他拖着疲惫的身体，回到一片死寂的家里时，女儿会第一时间爬过来迎接爸爸。每当这时，他都会有一种“想把女儿抱起来，扔出窗外”的冲动。“只要没有你，我们家就没什么问题，会一无所缺。你就是祸根……”

他们抱着此女，访遍了全国的名医。名医大多侃侃而谈，孩子却依旧无法行走。

正当他万念俱灰之时，身为基督徒的一位同僚对他说，创办他们教会的牧师将到访此地，让他带孩子去接受祷告。他向来对教会存有敌意。

“这孩子连医生都放弃了，祷告能管什么用？”

然而，爸爸的心不知不觉间被教会所吸引。

他带孩子去接受了祷告。

之后，有一位牧师提出和他聊一聊，他便开始洗耳恭听。闻所未闻的话语顿时令他耳目一新，精神为之一振。次日，他又去聆听了话语。到了第三日，回到家里的他将依旧爬来迎接他的女儿拦腰抱起，大声喊道：

“你是我们家的宝贝！”

“托你的福，我得救了。我现在没有罪了，我称义了。老婆，你也要听一听，要得救。”

他对一头雾水的妻子传讲了他听到的话语。次日，一起去教会的妻子也得救了。

如同遭丧之家的他们家里开始笑声不断，依旧爬行的女儿虽不明就里，却也一同开怀畅笑。

“老婆，我们搬到教会附近住吧。我们要经常听话语。”

刚好有一个出租房，和礼拜堂只有一墙之隔，他们便搬到了那里。女儿自然而然地和教会的孩子们玩耍起来。

一天，他从下班的路上经过教会时，不禁吃了一惊。女儿竟然扶着墙站了起来。这孩子匍匐而行整整八年，竟然自己站了起来……

她和孩子们一起玩耍时，看到其他孩子走路的样子，便不由自主地站了起来。于是，她开始一步一步地走了起来。

女儿的步伐略显别扭，却也学会了走路，还和孩子们一起赛跑。如今，年近三十的女儿已大学毕业，成为了一名优秀青年。身为成熟干练的有信仰的人，这位朋友过着蒙福的生活。他翘首期盼着即将出生的外孙……

他经常说：

“我一直追求着我心里所愿的。可神在我心里赐下了最为珍贵的宝贝。我通过这孩子听福音得救，得到了永远的生命。”

“得太阳所晒熟的美果，月亮所养成的宝物。”（申33:14）

神通过摩西祝福约瑟时，说明了太阳所做之工与月亮所做之工。太阳通过光合作用做着结果实的工。摘果实是所有人都喜欢的事情。人们大多关注结果，却对结果子的过程视而不见。

下面来介绍一篇我喜欢的一首诗。

 

一粒红枣

 

绝无靠己变红之理

定是若干台风

若干雷霆

若干雷鸣

若干闪电进入其中

使其变红而熟

 

绝无靠己变圆之理

定是若干降霜之夜

若干骄阳烈日

若干疏星弯月进入其中

使其浑然成圆

 

红枣啊

尔真乃通晓世事

 

一到秋季，红枣就会成熟。人们对此早已习以为常。诗人却认为没有无缘无故结出的果实。直至果熟蒂落之前，一粒红枣需承受无尽试炼与苦痛。对此，诗人是这样描写的：台风、雷霆、雷鸣、闪电、薄霜、烈日等会给红枣带来各种试炼和痛苦，却又是“能让一粒红枣又红又圆，熟透而落”的无价之宝。

太阳能晒熟美果，那月亮起什么作用呢？在人生的黑暗降临的夜晚发生之事，令人不堪忍受、始料未及、深感负担之事，如同台风、雷霆、雷鸣、闪电、薄霜、烈日之事……诸如此类的事情，太阳固然会光照，却是由月亮“养成”的。并非我们认为的美事才能让人生变得丰裕。试炼和苦痛、令人负担和绝望之事，才能让我们心里结出最为宝贵的果实，才能让我们得以成长。

神会赐予我们太阳晒熟的美果，以及月亮养成的宝物。我们若学习这位神，那么当遭遇困难时，也能心存盼望，与之对抗。