活出你的價值觀

By: Dr.Rick Warren 華理克博士

我們所做的每一件事，都是按照著我們的價值觀做的。即使你不曾好好地坐下來，列出哪些事對你重要、哪些不重要，你的行為還是會被你的價值觀、以及你認為重要的事所決定。每一次做決定，你會仰賴你的價值觀告訴你該怎麼做。

不幸的是，有一些價值觀對你的成功、滿足和實現你的生命目的是有害的。很多潛意識的價值觀並非我們選擇的，而是我們的父母、朋友、同儕以及整個社會文化強加在我們身上的。例如，有研究報告指出，電視是我們現今社會上最大的價值觀塑造者。如果我們不夠小心，就會發現自己屈服在壓力之下，按著不正確的價值觀而行。

就像船的帆會引導船隻航行的方向，你的價值觀也會引導甚至是指揮你的生命。如果你發現這種現象，那你應該常常問自己這些問題：
我的價值觀會引導我到什麼樣的方向？
它們會將帶我往我所期待的方向去或是引導我到失望的方向呢？
關於價值觀，還有一件要注意的事實就是，它們會造成我們很多的壓力。當我們所相信的和我們所做的不能符合時，壓力就會產生。例如:

當我們說：「我的家人對我重要時」，事實上，我們經常太忙沒有時間陪他們。

當我們說：「我重視我的健康時」，我們經常是超時工作、暴食或吃得太少或根本沒有運動。

當我們說：「我不重視物質。」我們經常為自己的經濟憂心忡忡。

當你的兩種價值觀相衝突時，就會造成「進退兩難」的情況。最近一個著名機構所做的長期的研究顯示：「長時間的價值觀衝突會造成職場和專業領袖的情緒緊張。」那麼，解決的辦法在哪裡？

(一) 定義生命中最重要的事情是甚麼？我們必須要有自己對成功的定義，而不是跟隨別人對成功的定義。記得一點：成功是我活出自己價值觀時的一種感覺，不是目的。如果你對人生的每一個階段都有自己的價值觀和目標，那麼你可以在人生的每一個階段都是成功的。現在就寫下甚麼是對你的人生最重要的事開始，問自己甚麼對自己是最重要的？甚麼是最不重要的？『因為耳朵試驗話語，好像上膛嘗食物。我們當選擇何為是，彼此知道何為善。』(約伯記34章3、4節)

(二) 開始減少一些不重要的事。我們所處的文化背景、週遭的朋友和同儕以及其它很多的因素都在試著引誘我們背離自己的判斷，但是一個正確的、可靠的價值觀會是對我們很有幫助的指引。『不要效法這個世界，只要心意更新而變化，叫你們察驗何為　神的善良、純全、可喜悅的旨意。』(羅馬書12章2節)

© 2011, 標竿人生。版權所有.節錄自華理克牧師的專欄。華理克牧師是多產的作家，他最受好評的暢銷書是：標竿人生。標竿人生已被翻譯成多國語言並行銷全球。書中倡導生命中有一個清楚、有計畫的目標能引導每日生活的重要性。它也被選為改變二十世紀的一百本基督教書籍之一。他也是標竿教會一書的作者。

思想 / 討論題目
你知道甚麼是形成你的價值觀最重要的因素嗎？解釋你的答案。 形成你價值觀最重要的來源是甚麼？你覺得幾個比較重要的價值觀都是別人加在你身上的嗎？或者是因為你沒有仔細小心去思考呢？ 你覺得我們有可能嘴裡宣稱信心，但做出來又是另外一回事嗎？如果你覺得這是可能的，舉一個在日常生活中的例子，或是你認識的人的例子你要如何分辨哪些是真正重要的事，哪些是吸引你注意但是事實上卻一點也不重要的 事呢？註: 如果你手上有聖經，想要查考或討論與這個主題相關的經節，請看：
馬太福音6章19-21節，28-34節，13章44-46節，19章16-30節， 路加福音10章38-42節， 約翰一書2章15-17節

LIVING ACCORDING TO YOUR VALUES

By Dr. Rick Warren

Everything we do is influenced by our values. Even if you have never actually sat down and compiled a list of what is important to you, your actions in life are largely determined by the values you hold dear and important. Every time you make a decision, you are relying on your values to tell you what to do.

Unfortunately, some of the values you operate by might be counterproductive to your success and serve as a hindrance to your sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in life. Many of the subconscious values we live by we didn’t choose. They were imposed on us by parents, friends, peers, and the culture around you. For instance, studies have shown that today, television programming has become the foremost shaper of values in our society. As a result, if we are not careful, we could find ourselves acting according to incorrect information and values that do not stand up under pressure.

Just as the “set of the sail” determines the direction of a sailing vessel, your values guide or even dictate the course for your life. If that is true, we must intentionally and often ask ourselves questions such as:
In what direction are my values leading me?
Are they going to deliver what I hope or expect, or will I eventually be disappointed?
Here is another fact about values: They can cause us tremendous amounts of stress. Stress occurs when what we claim to believe and what we truly do believe do not line up. For instance:

When we SAY, "My family is important to me."
But we are always too busy or too tired to enjoy them.
When we SAY, "I value my health."
But we overwork, overeat or eat poorly, and rarely or never exercise.
When we SAY, "I’m not materialistic."
But we become so heavily in debt that we worry constantly about our personal finances.

When two of your values conflict, that’s called a dilemma. A study by a prominent research organization recently revealed that conflicting values are a leading cause of emotional tension among business and professional leaders. What, then, is the solution?

1. IDENTIFY WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFE. We need to articulate a personal definition of success – not someone else’s definition, but your own. Remember this: Success is the feeling I get when I live out my values. It is not a destination. You can be successful at any stage of your life, based on your own personal values and goals. Begin by making a list of what you value most in life. Ask yourself, "What is most important; what is going to last?" "…We should choose to follow what is right. But first we must define what is good" (Job 34:3-4).

2. BEGIN BY ELIMINATING THOSE THINGS THAT REALLY ARE NOT IMPORTANT. The culture around us, pressure from friends and peers, and other factors can tempt us to act counter to our best judgment. However, clearly understood values can serve as a helpful, reliable guide. "Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how God’s ways really satisfy you" (Romans 12:2).

© 2011, Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Adapted from a column by Dr. Rick Warren, the author of numerous books, including the highly acclaimed, The Purpose-Drive Life, which has been translated into many languages and sold throughout the world. It affirms the importance of having a carefully considered, clearly expressed purpose to guide everyday life. It has been named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He also has written The Purpose-Driven Church.

Reflection/Discussion Questions
If you were to identify a primary factor that you depend on for shaping your personal values, what would it be? Explain your answer. What has been the great source of your values? Do you believe that any of your strongest values have been “imposed” on you, or that you have adopted without really thinking them through? Why or why not? Do you agree that it is possible to verbally express your faith in certain values and yet contradict what you claim to “believe” by your actions? If so, try to give an example, either from your own life or from the life of someone you know. How would you go about distinguishing what you truly feel is important in life from things that clamor for your attention but are not extremely important to you?NOTE: If you have a Bible, consider these other passages that relate to this topic:
Matthew 6:19-21,28-34, 13:44-46, 19:16-30; Luke 10:38-42; 1 John 2:15-17