Edited by Jim McCrory, Friday, 25 July 2025, 14:58
The wind blows all around us as if it has a will of its own;
we feel and hear it,
but we do not understand where it has come from
or where it will end up.
Life in the Spirit is as if it were the wind of God,
John 3:8
Yuánfèn: A Mysterious Cosmic Bond.
緣分
Yesterday, my wife and I took a trip to Edinburgh to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. But, as always, we began our day by reading God’s word and praying before we left. We also asked God, as we often do, to guide someone to us; someone who might need a bit of company or human connection.
Do you think it strange that we should ask this? Experience has taught us that there is nothing strange in such a request. We don’t belong to any church or congregation; we simply believe that God blesses all Christians who have sincere hearts.
Therefore, we’re not out to evangelise for any religion. We simply want to be human in a Christlike way.
The Taiwanese word Yuánfèn is very apt for our travels: a kind of fated affinity or destiny that brings people together. It’s more than mere coincidence; it implies a mysterious cosmic bond.
After visiting Britannia at Leith Ocean Terminal, we sat in Princes Street Gardens having a snack. A young Asian girl came and sat beside us. A conversation began. The usual: “Where are you from?” “Are you studying in Edinburgh?” “How are your parents back home?”
It quickly became clear, just as with all humans, that we all need a bit of company and connection in a world that, more often than not, seems indifferent. We ended up spending the day with our new friend—walking, sharing coffee, watching a street performer on the Royal Mile. A bond formed, but not an ordinary one. One could sense something deeper, a quiet friendship, something woven with Yuánfèn. Something cosmic, divinely inspired.
It felt as though God and Jesus had responded to that prayer my wife uttered that morning: “Heavenly Father, if there is someone out there today who needs friendship, guide them to us.” And He did in this low-level miraculous way. I would like to say we went home happier that God spread some sunshine on all of us.
“His purpose in all this was that people of every culture and religion would search for this ultimate God, grope for Him in the darkness, as it were, hoping to find Him. Yet, in truth, God is not far from any of us.” — Acts 17:27 (The Voice Bible)
Yuánfèn: A Mysterious Cosmic Bond.
The wind blows all around us as if it has a will of its own;
we feel and hear it,
but we do not understand where it has come from
or where it will end up.
Life in the Spirit is as if it were the wind of God,
John 3:8
Yuánfèn: A Mysterious Cosmic Bond.
緣分
Yesterday, my wife and I took a trip to Edinburgh to see the Royal Yacht Britannia. But, as always, we began our day by reading God’s word and praying before we left. We also asked God, as we often do, to guide someone to us; someone who might need a bit of company or human connection.
Do you think it strange that we should ask this? Experience has taught us that there is nothing strange in such a request. We don’t belong to any church or congregation; we simply believe that God blesses all Christians who have sincere hearts.
Therefore, we’re not out to evangelise for any religion. We simply want to be human in a Christlike way.
The Taiwanese word Yuánfèn is very apt for our travels: a kind of fated affinity or destiny that brings people together. It’s more than mere coincidence; it implies a mysterious cosmic bond.
After visiting Britannia at Leith Ocean Terminal, we sat in Princes Street Gardens having a snack. A young Asian girl came and sat beside us. A conversation began. The usual: “Where are you from?” “Are you studying in Edinburgh?” “How are your parents back home?”
It quickly became clear, just as with all humans, that we all need a bit of company and connection in a world that, more often than not, seems indifferent. We ended up spending the day with our new friend—walking, sharing coffee, watching a street performer on the Royal Mile. A bond formed, but not an ordinary one. One could sense something deeper, a quiet friendship, something woven with Yuánfèn. Something cosmic, divinely inspired.
It felt as though God and Jesus had responded to that prayer my wife uttered that morning: “Heavenly Father, if there is someone out there today who needs friendship, guide them to us.” And He did in this low-level miraculous way. I would like to say we went home happier that God spread some sunshine on all of us.
“His purpose in all this was that people of every culture and religion would search for this ultimate God, grope for Him in the darkness, as it were, hoping to find Him. Yet, in truth, God is not far from any of us.”
— Acts 17:27 (The Voice Bible)
" 他的意图是使人们寻求他，也许他们会摸索并找到他，但是他离我们每个人都不遥远"
*****
Chinese New Version permissions,
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The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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