A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

從前，有位年輕人即將大學生畢業。數月來，他一直渴望得到某汽車商產品陳列室中的一輛跑車。他知道，他那富有的父親肯定買得起這輛車，于是，他便跟父親說他很想得到那輛漂亮的跑車。

 

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

在畢業典禮即將來臨的日子里，年輕人等待著父親買下跑車的消息。終于，在畢業典禮那天上午，父親將他叫到自己的書房，并告訴他，有他這么出色的兒子自己感到非常自豪而且非常愛他這個兒子。接著，父親遞給兒子一個包裝精美的禮品盒。年輕人感到好奇，但帶著些許失望地打開禮品盒，卻發現里面是一本精美的精裝本《圣經》，上面以金子凸印著年輕人的名字。看罷，年輕人怒氣沖沖地向父親大喊道：“你有那么多錢，卻只給我一本《圣經》？”說完，便丟下《圣經》，憤怒地沖出房子。

 

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

多年以后，年輕人已事業有成。他擁有一所漂亮的房子，一個溫馨的家庭。但當得知父親年事已高，他想，或許應該去看看他。自從畢業那天起他就一直不見父親。就在起程時，他收到一封電報——父親已逝世，并已立下遺囑將其所有財產轉給兒子。他要立即回父親家處理后事。

 

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

在父親的房子里，他突然內心感到一陣悲傷與懊悔。他開始仔細搜尋父親的重要文件，突然發現了那本《圣經》——還跟幾年前一樣嶄新。他噙著淚水打開《圣經》并一頁一頁地閱讀著。忽然，從書的背面掉出一把鑰匙。鑰匙上掛著一個標簽，上面寫著一個汽車經銷商的名字——正是他曾渴望的那輛跑車的經銷商。標簽上還有他的畢業日期及“款已付清”的字樣。

 

How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因為他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好？不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，但要記住一點：你現在所擁有的恰恰正是你曾經一心渴望得到的。

 

Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

有時，我們并沒有意識到我們已經擁有或本該擁有的好運，僅僅因為它的外表與我們想象中的有所不同。其實，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是等待開啟的幸運之門。