A Life Beyond Limits

A Life Beyond Limits

In Indonesia, kopi luwak (civet coffee) is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. It is made from coffee beans that have been eaten by civet cats, passed through their digestive system, and then collected from their feces. Its rich aroma and smooth flavor have won the hearts of many, and its price is extremely high.

There is an even more expensive coffee called Black Ivory Coffee. It is made from beans eaten and excreted by elephants, producing a brew with a delicate floral fragrance. One kilogram of Black Ivory Coffee costs around 1,100 USD—remarkably expensive indeed.

Just as there are many kinds of coffee, all created things have different levels and ranks. We cannot hastily conclude that something is “the best,” nor say that there is nothing higher than it. Just as there exists a world “beyond limits” and “records” are made to be broken, everything we possess is always being replaced by something new.

In Psalm 61:2, David prays, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” David longed to go beyond his own limits—to reach, to yearn for, and to challenge a higher world.

When God created all things, He gave every living being a function to survive. Though elephants are large and heavy, they have a sharp sense of perception and can detect underground water a meter deep. Sharks can locate fish hidden beneath the sand. Just as the human heartbeat produces a small electric current, fish also emit electric signals—and sharks can detect these currents to find and hunt their prey.

Human beings, as creatures of flesh, also have limits. Yet, humanity has learned ways to overcome those limits. Many people think they cannot reach higher places—but that is not true. People built stairs and invented elevators. Though we cannot hammer a nail with our bare fists, we can do it with a hammer. Once humans overcame what was physically impossible, life became more convenient.

If one cannot run fast, does that mean it’s truly impossible? Not at all—humans invented cars, trains, and airplanes. The limits of our voices were overcome by microphones. Just like this, the limits of the body have been overcome—but the world of the heart is much harder to transcend.

People often think the problem is their own weakness. But weakness itself is not the problem—the real problem is not knowing how to overcome it. Once we learn the way to overcome, life becomes easier and lighter, and we can do what we once thought impossible.

There is something that animals do not have but humans do: the mysterious ability to hear the voice of the heart and to accept another person’s heart as it is. God gave only humankind this wondrous ability. That is why humans are capable of doing extraordinary things.

In Philippians 2:5, it says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
If we have the heart of Jesus, we become like little Jesuses. The only way to have the heart of Jesus is through faith. Though God created mankind weak, He gave us the ability to receive the power of others. Humans in the flesh have limits—but they have learned to overcome them through faith.

We were all born sinners, destined only to sin. But that doesn’t mean we must live as sinners forever. If we believe that Jesus was crucified for our sins, then we are no longer sinners but righteous. This is not because of what we have done, but because we are justified by faith. What pleases God the most is our faith.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists
and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6)

By faith, the shepherd boy David defeated the giant Goliath with five stones and conquered the Philistines. By faith, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, received God’s Law, and built the tabernacle.

Our dance team once needed visas to participate in a dance competition. Although we submitted our applications, ten of our members were rejected—including the lead male and female dancers. It was a big problem. We called and emailed the consulate to ask for the reason, but they gave us no reply. They received our messages but refused to respond.

A few days later, we called again, and they told us to reapply—but also warned that there was no guarantee we would receive the visas. We submitted new applications, but were rejected again. According to the rules, once rejected, you cannot reapply within three months. The situation became increasingly urgent.

We called again, and they told us to try applying one more time. Every day, we called to explain our situation. We sent screenshots of the main dancers’ performances and reported the staff’s lack of response to higher authorities.

Finally, our entire dance team received the visas.
On the day we got them, everyone clapped and rejoiced with overflowing happiness. That joy came from overcoming the limits of our hearts and finally obtaining the visas.

I hope every reader, too, will become a person who goes beyond their limits through faith. 

越过极限的人生

 

印度尼西亚的麝香猫咖啡是一种非常昂贵的咖啡。它是由麝香猫吃完咖啡果后，从排泄物中提取咖啡豆而制作的一种咖啡。它香醇可口，博得了很多人的喜爱，价格也很昂贵。

还有一种更贵的咖啡是黑色象牙咖啡，它是由大象吃完咖啡后，从排出的粪便中获得的一种散发着花香的咖啡。黑色象牙咖啡1公斤1100美元，非常的昂贵。

正如咖啡的种类繁多一样，一切事物，即被造物，也都有阶层。

我们不能草率地说这就是最好的；也不能说没有比这更高的水平。就像有“越过极限”的世界，“记录”也是为了打破而存在一样，我们拥有的东西也总是被新事物所替代。

在《诗篇》61篇2节中，大卫祷告说：“求你领我到那比我更高的磐石。”

大卫心里想越过自己的极限，且思慕、想挑战其他的世界。

创造万物的神在创造动物和植物时，都创造了生存的功能。

大象虽然身体笨重，但感觉敏锐，可以察觉到地下1米的地下水。鲨鱼可以找出埋藏在沙子里的鱼。就像人的心脏跳动时会产生电流一样，鱼也会产生电流，而鲨鱼会察觉到电波，从而找到鱼，进行猎食。对于有肉身的人类来说，也是有极限的。然而，人类学习了克服这种极限的方法。

许多人认为他们去不了高处。但并非如此。人们建造了楼梯，发明了电梯。人们无法用拳头钉钉子，却可以用锤子钉钉子。克服了人做不到的极限后，人们生活起来变得很便利。自己跑不快，难道就真的跑不快吗？于是，人类发明了汽车、火车和飞机。声音的极限通过麦克风被克服了。就像这一样，身体的极限都被克服了，但是心灵世界却很难被克服。

人们认为，问题在于他们太软弱了。但软弱不是问题，问题是他们不知道克服的方法，所以才会艰难度日。如果学会克服的方法，生活就会变得便利和容易，而且人们也能做到曾认为做不到的事情。

动物身上没有的东西，人类身上有。人类身上拥有的神奇能力就是能够听到心灵的声音，而且能够原本地接受他人的心。神只赐给了人类这种神奇的能力。因此，人类是能够做出惊人之举的存在。

《腓立比书》2章5节中说：“你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。”

若怀有耶稣的心，就会变成小耶稣。能够拥有耶稣的心的途径惟有信心。神虽然把人类造得很软弱，但赐给了“能接受他人强大力量”的能力。有肉体的人类是有极限的。但是，人类学习了克服这种极限的方法。那就是信心。

我们生来是只能犯罪的罪人。但这并不意味着我们总是以罪人的身份生活。如果接受了耶稣为我们的罪被钉在十字架上的事实，我们就不再是罪人，而是义人。这并不是因为我们做好了什么，而是因信称义。神最喜悦的就是我们的信心。

“人非有信，就不能得神的喜悦；因为到神面前来的人必须信有神，且信他赏赐那寻求他的人。”（来11:6）

因为信心，牧童大卫用5个石子打倒了巨人歌利亚，并战胜了非利士人。摩西凭借信心，将以色列百姓从埃及地引领出来，并领受神的律法，建造会幕。

我们的舞蹈队为了参加舞蹈比赛需要拿到签证。虽然我们提交了申请，但有10人被拒签，被拒签的人中还包括男女主角。这下麻烦大了。我们给领事馆打了电话，还发了邮件，询问了拒绝的理由，但对方没有任何答复。对方确实收到了邮件，却没有回复我们。

之后的一天，我们打了电话，但得到的答复是让我们重新申请，还说他们不能保证给我们签发签证。

于是，我们又提交了申请，却再次被拒签。一旦被拒签，按照规定，3个月内不得重新申请。事情变得愈发急迫起来。

我们再次打了电话，他们让我们重新再申请一下。我们每天都给他们打电话，说明我们的情况。我们又把主角的舞蹈作品截图发了过去，并向上级机关告知了工作人员不回复邮件的不诚实的工作态度。

最终，舞蹈队全员获得了签证。

拿到签证的那天，大家拍手叫好，喜悦之情溢于言表。那天之所以那么喜乐，是因为我们克服了心灵的极限，获得了签证。

希望各位读者也能成为凭借信心越过极限的人。