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每当到了这个时候，我们园子里的苹果树已变得光秃秃，似乎再无生机。它们僵直地站着，只能为栖息在它们树枝上的鸟儿提供少许荫蔽。我向往来年春天时长出第一批粉红色花朵的时刻——和随之而来的果子。在冬天时，尽管我不太看好这些树的状况，但它们里面其实是仍然有生命力的。

或许你已经看过（或听过）劳伦斯修士的著作《与神同在》了。你切勿让这本书的篇幅给你错误的印象；它虽然篇幅不长，但它的内容却充满智慧。

劳伦斯修士是我心目中一位英雄人物。他领悟到无论他身在何处，那里都是一个与神交通的好地方，因为神是无所不在的。神既常与他同在，纵使身处令他感到空虚和没有意义的地方，他也能在那里找到满足和归属感。在他居住的修道院中，厨房是他的工作场所。在那里，他学习怎样在神的同在中煮食、洗盘碗和做勤杂。别人看来是卑下的差事，却成为他操练与神的亲密关系的安息之所。厨房成了劳伦斯用心灵和诚实来敬拜神的圣所。

你的圣所在哪里？

At this time of year, the apple trees in our yard are barren and seemingly have no life in them. They stand frozen, offering little more than a bit of shelter for the birds that land on their branches. I think ahead to when the first pink blossoms will appear in spring—and the fruit that will follow. It's wonderful, though, that even as I pass judgment on the trees in winter, there is still life inside.

Maybe you have read (or heard of) the book by Brother Lawrence called The Practice of the Presence of God. Don't let the size of the book fool you. Though small in its number of pages, it is rich in wisdom.

Brother Lawrence, a friar who is one of my heroes, came to realize that wherever he was, it was a good place to connect with God, for God is everywhere. Because of God's presence, even places where Lawrence had felt empty and worthless became rich with a sense of belonging. His place in the monastery where he lived was the kitchen. There he learned to cook meals, do dishes, and run errands with God. What seemed a lowly position to others became a retreat and a haven of relationship with God. The kitchen became Lawrence's sanctuary, where he worshiped in spirit and in truth.

Where is your sanctuary?