阅读经文 

一位年长的朋友走进我开着门的办公室，她在我的书桌前坐下、直截了当地说：“Harvey，你一定要记着，你不过是尘土！”

我没有预料到她会这样说的，然而我知道她所说是事实，因为这句话的出处是可靠的。她在附和诗篇一百零三篇十四节所说的：耶和华“思念我们不过是尘土”。

我以前曾经以为这节经文的意思是说，我们只有很低微的或甚至完全没有价值。我想起床下面毫无用处的“尘垢”，我们会用力摇动扫尘拖把，见到尘埃被扫走了便很高兴。

然而，我的朋友并不是告诉我，我是没有价值的，她乃是担心我太忙碌和没有好好照顾自己而已。我们的经文岂不也这样说的吗？主关心我们，神像父亲那样怜恤祂的儿女，祂知道我们是脆弱的，祂知道我们的本体。这位用尘土造人、然后将生气吹进人鼻孔赐生命给人的神提醒我们，藉着祂儿子，我们救主的丰盛恩典，祂乐意且有能力满足我们的需要。

我这位年长的朋友很率直，但她也是非常关心人和怜悯人的。她说得对，我需要她来找我并提醒我，我不过是尘土，这是我的本质。主慈爱地顾念这个事实，而我也怀着感恩的心去默想它！

An elderly friend entered the open door of my office, sat down across from my desk, and came right to the point: "Harvey, you must remember you are dust!"

I wasn't expecting this from her. But I knew from a reliable source that this is true. She was echoing Psalm 103:14: the Lord "remembers that we are dust."

There was a time when I thought this verse meant that we have little or no worth. I remembered "dust devils" ­under my bed. Not much value there. We vigorously shook out the dust mop, glad to be rid of the dust.

But my friend was not telling me I was worthless. She was concerned that I was too busy and not taking care of myself properly. Our text says that too, doesn't it? The Lord is caring. God is like a father who has compassion on his children. He knows our frailty; he knows how we are formed. The God who took dust and breathed into it the gift of life reminds us that he is willing and able to meet our needs out of the riches of grace in his Son, our Savior.

My elderly friend was blunt, but she was very caring and loving. And she was right. I needed her visit and the reminder that I am dust. It's my reality. The Lord compassionately remembers it, and I'm trying to remember it too, with thanks！