Healing Rays of Righteousness

How To Age Well – Part 3

Last week I said that I believe “aging” is God’s gift to us, and that I agree with the person who said, “Aging is not an enemy to be conquered, but a friend to be cultivated.”  I believe such belief greatly enhances the positive attitude called acceptance, which is so critical in our efforts to “age well.”

To accept the fact that we are going to die is so basic to both our living well and aging well.  Until we break down that wall of denial, we will not be motivated to follow through on any of the other much needed attitudes and end-of-life preparations.

Whether we choose to believe it or not, our relationship with death and our attitude about our own dying, significantly affects the way we live every day.  What I do and the decisions I make are often determined by my acceptance or denial of the fact that I am growing older and will someday die.

I agree with those counselors who say that we cannot truly live until we have accepted the fact that one day we will die.  The Psalmist prays, “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” (39:4). And again, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (90:12).

Joni Eareckson Tada writes, “…of all the things to be counted, this is the hardest – to number our days.  We number everything else so easily.  We know how much money we have in our purse and how many dollars in the bank.  Farmers number their sheep and cattle.  Restaurants number the meals served in a week.  Teachers check off attendance records.  Gardeners can tell you how many tomato plants are in the backyard.                                                            Yet we find it hard to number something so precious as our days.  Perhaps that’s because we see our days stretching on and on.  They seem infinite and so there is no need, we think,  to number them.  Things we fail to account for, we waste.  That’s why it is wise to ask God to teach us to consider each day separate from the next, distinct in its purpose, unique in the way it is to be lived.”  (“Diamonds in the Dust”- 1993, Devotional for September 14).

Abram Schmitt writes, “I have a haunting notion that too many people live on too shallow a level.  They miss the real joy of living.  There is a depth of meaning to life that eludes them.  If only people would permit themselves to face their limited life span, they would be forced to make the most of every moment.  …There is no escape from death, but in this modern era people do all they can to avoid death, to delay it, and to evade all thoughts and conversations about it.”

Growing older means experiencing many LOSSES.  And each loss is a small death, a “goodbye” to what was.  Growing older means saying “goodbye” to the world of work, health, spouse, friends, freedoms (driving, walking), and to control of activities.  And with each of these losses there comes the accompanying FEARS.

Aging well requires a frequent looking at ourselves and asking some very basic questions;  What is of value, important, and worthwhile to me, and what is not?  Am I becoming more caring or more callous, more forgiving or more vengeful, more tolerant or more critical, more generous or more self-centered?  Am I growing in my Christian faith and behavior, becoming a more mature, well-rounded person, or am I becoming more selfish and childish.

And of supreme importance to aging well is to have an attitude of gratitude – that is, being thankful.  A grateful attitude causes our life to open up like a flower, full of beauty and sweet fragrance. It causes our life to be filled with joy and pleasant surprises because we see God blessing us in so many ways.  King Solomon says that “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  (Proverbs 17:22)

Every pain has the potential for gratitude or resentment.  Every problem provides an opportunity for stronger faith and new relationships or frustration and despair.  The need for surgery can make us dread the pain or thank God for the surgeon’s skills.  Stormy weather can create dreary complaints or gratitude for the sunny days.  The death of a spouse can produce a terror of the future or a song of thanksgiving for memories of ten thousand shared joys.

A grateful heart discovers blessings in what the discontented, resentful heart overlooks.  It is amazing what happens in our life when we cultivate the habit of always saying “Thank you” to others and to God in every situation we may find ourselves.

“Rejoice always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 30, 2019

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

How To Age Well – Part 2

Last week I shared why I think the biblical story of Moses provides some good insights into how to age well.  I suggested three attributes in Moses’ life that I think enabled him to age well.  They were 1) being curious and interested about life; 2) having a sense of the sacred in life; and 3) accepting God’s mission for his life.

As essential as I believe these attributes are, I am convinced that of first importance is our attitude about aging.  It is critical that we examine our inner self to discover what is my dominant image of aging, of growing older?  What is my attitude regarding aging?

Biblical wisdom states that our latter years are the glory years?  “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”  (Proverbs 4:18).  By attitude and actions, Americans do not agree with this wisdom, nor the wisdom of Proverbs 16:31 which says, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.”

Attitudes determine actions.  Before you can move toward action, it must first be an attitude.  Your current attitudes define both your present life and your future days.  Change your attitudes and you will change your life.

Some years ago I heard the story of an eighty-three year old woman who was being interviewed for a video about aging, and she related a conversation she had with her son.  She said, “I was talking to my son, Jim, the other day.  I said, ‘Jim, I went to church last Sunday, and you know the church was packed with old people.’  My son, Jim, says to me, ‘Well, Mother, what do you think you are?’”

Suddenly she became quiet and after a pause, she put her hand to her forehead said, “I never thought of that.  I never thought of myself as being old.”  After another brief pause, she continued, “I always thought I was….”  She didn’t know how to finish the sentence.  She couldn’t find the right words to describe her astonishment at her son’s response.  She tried again, “I thought I was….”  Once again, she was befuddled and puzzled as to how to finish the sentence.  Finally, on the third try, she said, “I thought I was … all right.”

I think her statement sums up for us what our culture tends to feel and think about the journey of aging.  We tend to believe and act as if aging is not “all right” – that there’s something very wrong with the process of aging and that we should not be doing it.

I strongly encourage us not to let our American culture shape our attitude toward aging.  I have seen and am convinced that to age well we must be firmly convinced that aging is all right.

We might ask why does God allow something so destructive as aging to happen.  I’ve come to believe that aging is not only a necessary part of God’s plan, but that he brought aging to us as a gift.  I believe that aging has purpose, and that purpose is to make us mature children of God.

Henri Nouwen and Walter Gaffney, in their book Aging, The Fulfillment of Life, define aging as “the gradual fulfillment of the life cycle in which receiving matures in giving and living makes dying worthwhile.”

When aging can be experienced with this attitude, then it can become a movement towards the hour when we say with the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:6-7: “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God.  The time of my death is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”

In their book, Aging, God’s Challenge to Church & Synagogue, Richard Gentzler, Jr. and Donald Clingan state: “Aging can be growing into the light in such a way that as we age, we see new visions, hear new sounds, and find new directions for living in service to God and to our fellow human beings.       …aging is so filled with promises that it can lead us to discover more and more of life’s treasures.  Aging is not a reason for despair, but a basis of hope; not a slow decaying, but a gradual maturing; not a fate to be undergone, but a change to be embraced.”

I believe that our aging has the potential for spiritual development and character refinement far beyond what we could imagine for ourselves.  Our unique, individual, God-given gifts should improve and mature as we grow older.  Our character should become more Christ-like as we grow in a deeply rooted relationship with God.

I agree with the person who said, “Aging is not an enemy to be conquered, but a friend to be cultivated.”  Yes, I deeply believe that “aging” is God’s gift to us.

Perhaps a better question for us to ask would be, when did the process of becoming mature, which we see as a positive force, become the thief in the night that we see as aging?  That question gets to the heart of the matter – our attitudes.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 23, 2019

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

How To Age Well

The psalmist paints a beautiful word picture of the aging person in Psa. 92:12-14.  “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’”

Tomorrow is my 80^th birthday.  Although in many ways that number seems unbelievable to me, it is a reality I am trying to fully accept and live into.

It has been said, “It is not how old you are, but how you are old that makes the difference in your enjoyment or despair of life.”  And in my many years of being pastor and chaplain, I am convinced that most often this is true.  So how does a person age well?

I believe the biblical story of Moses provides some good insight into this question.  Moses is about eighty years old when he encounters God in the burning bush and is given a new vocation, responsibility, and lifestyle for the latter third of his life.  In his story, I see three attributes of Moses that I think are essential in aging well.

Firstly, Moses remained curious and interested about life.  Curiosity caused Moses to be open-minded and anxious to learn, even at eighty years of age.  I see him gathering news from the wandering herdsmen and traveling traders about life in Egypt; gleaning any bits of knowledge he could from his father-in-law, Jethro; and debating the virtues and power of the God he followed as he sat around the evening cook fire.  Call it curiosity or zest for living, Moses had it and it prepared him well for the greatness he accomplished in the latter third of his life.

For many people, growing older with changes coming faster than they can appreciate, the option of closing their mind and sit wishing for the “good old days” is a great temptation.  But, in doing so, they shut the door to possibilities and purpose that God desires for them.

I’ve learned that people who age well continue to dream and anticipate new experiences in life.  And so I’ve tried to remain very interested in the world around me.  Most often I’ve eagerly viewed my world as a place where I could participate in new, exciting, and possibly life changing ways.

Secondly, Moses had a sense of the sacred.  He had experienced a lot, both good and bad, in his eighty years of life.  He had every right to be angry, cynical and bitter about life.  He could have become another basket case of negativity and pessimism.  But he did not.

Instead, Moses retained a sense of the sacred in the everyday, ordinary things of life, and even in the difficult experiences.  I think he must have often marveled at God’s created world, and gratefully worshipped the God who spared his life from the Pharoah and continued to sustain and bless him.  And so, when he encounters the unusual in the bush fire, he covers his face, realizing that God has come near to him.

Cynicism quickly grows and flourishes in the fertile soil of ingratitude.  A cynical spirit does not see nor acknowledge God at work in the hard, disappointing experiences of life.  A cynical spirit robs life of purpose, joy, and zest for living.

Like Moses, I’ve tried to maintain a sense of the sacred in all of life’s varied experiences.  Most every day I’ve made an effort to anticipate and observe God at work everywhere in my life and world.

Thirdly, Moses accepts God’s mission.  This was no small, insignificant mission that God was calling Moses to lead.  It was big, risky, and filled with dangers.  To go back to Egypt could mean his death.  To convince a pure capitalist like Pharoah to release his human labor force; to lead a people that may rebel against his leadership in taking them out of Egypt and into a land they had never seen would be no easy task.  It is certainly not the kind of activity or responsibility we generally think fitting for a person of retirement age.

And, yes, Moses does offer excuse after excuse before he is convinced to accept the mission.  It is only after he is reassured that God has uniquely fitted him for the task and that God is calling him to this mission that Moses accepts.

I’ve seen and learned that people who age well remain committed to God and God’s mission for them in the world.  Their commitments give purpose and meaning to everyday living, which is so essential for their latter years of life.

The story of Moses suggests to me that God wants our entire life, including the latter years, to be involved in a mission of service for God and toward others.  To do so means we must remain curious and interested in our world, retain a sense of the sacred in all of life, and be accepting of God’s mission.  This is what I believe and hope to live into during the years of my life that follow my 80^th birthday.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 16, 2019

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

You Are Loved

Some years ago I heard a story about a then well-known speaker who began his seminar presentation by holding up a new twenty-dollar bill.  In the room of two hundred persons, he asked, “Who would like this twenty-dollar bill?”  Hands were slowly raised up.  He continued, “I am going to give this twenty-dollar bill to one of you, but first let me do this.”  He then proceeded to crumple up the bill.  He then asked, “Who still wants it?”  Again the hands went up in the air.  “Well,” he asked, “what if I do this?”  Dropping the crumpled bill to the floor, he ground it beneath the heel of his shoe, until the bill was not only crumpled but also dirty and torn.  “Now who still wants it?” he asked.  And again the hands went up.

“My friends,” he said, “you have all learned a very valuable lesson.  No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.  It was still worth twenty dollars.  Many times in our lives we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.  We feel as though we are worthless.  But no matter what happened or will happen, you will never lose your value in the eyes of those who love you.  You are special, and never forget it.”

I totally agree with this speaker, and believe the biblical record of God’s relationship with his people consistently supports his message.  You were born great, unique, and full of potential.  And now, years later, you are even greater, more unique, and still full of potential.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!”  (1 John 3:1).

I remember the bedtime ritual of our small children coming to me for a kiss and a goodnight.  Each time I would profess my love for them they would respond, “I love you, too, Daddy.”  This ritual became our good-bye ritual as our children grew older, and that ritual continues even to this day.

I have no doubt that my children love me.  But I can recall a time when they probably did not.  They needed Mom and Dad.  They relied on us.  They were utterly and totally dependent.  They could not prepare their own food nor feed themselves, put on their own clothes, change their own diapers, move about unless carried, and the list goes on.  As newborns, our children were totally dependent.

From the very first sight of our children, the first touch, the first sound of a cry, the first cradling, I was head over heels in love with them.  I loved them simply because they were mine.  They didn’t earn it.  They didn’t necessarily deserve it.  Furthermore, they demanded a lot and were costly in both time and money.

They would get sick and grouchy, and many a night interrupted our needed sleep.  They could be noisy, messy, and smelly all at the same time.  But above and beyond any of that, they were my children, and nothing they could do would ever stop me from loving them.

As they rapidly grew up in that environment of love, they began to love me and their mother as their parents.  And as they matured into their adult years, so did their love deepen, and now when they say “I love you” I know I can take them at their word.  More importantly, I know their words are true, because I can feel the deeper emotions that those words convey.

In his letter, I hear John saying that God’s parental relationship with us is similar to ours with our children.  We love because he (God) first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

We are children of God, who is LOVE.  And there is NOTHING that can ever stop God from loving us.  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

And so you may feel as though you are worthless.  But no matter what happened or will happen, you will never lose your value in the eyes of your Heavenly Father and those who love you.  You are special, and never forget it.  You are loved, today and always.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 9, 2019

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

The Lord Our God Is King

Living in a modern democracy, we find it difficult to imagine life under a monarchy.  When we think of an absolute ruler, our minds are filled with images of a dictator or tyrant.  We like kings and queens only when they are ceremonial rulers, upholding a national tradition but lacking real political power or authority.

In our anxious age of worrying, we want a God who makes us feel secure.  In our alienation and loneliness, we want a God who accepts us, provides abundance, and doesn’t make demands.  We are interested in a God who will build our self-esteem, self-confidence, and forgive our sins.  We are much less interested in hearing about or relating to a God who is King and who is Holy.

In Psalm 99, the psalmist calls the nations to tremble and worship the Lord, the mighty King.     “The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.  Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. 

 Let them praise your great and awesome name – he is holy.                                                        The King is mighty, he loves justice – ….

 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.                                               Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

Other psalms call us to celebrate and worship the Lord as King;                                                (47:2) – How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!             (93:1) – The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.                                                                                                                                                     (95:3) – For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

What do we do with this picture of God as King?  Verses 1 and 2 tell us that God is sovereign over all and is a great and awesome King, who “sits enthroned between the cherubim”. If he is “the great King over all the earth,” then what is our position – we who resist being told how to behave and are not accustomed to standing in respectful awe of anyone?

In Isaiah 6:1-5, we read that when Isaiah enters the temple and sees the Lord seated on a throne, with seraphs calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory,” Isaiah cries out, “Woe to me!  I am ruined.”  Why do you think he says that?

I believe that when we truly sense being in the presence of God’s kingly majesty, greatness, and holiness, our heart melts in awesome knowing of our sinfulness and the knees shake and bend until we fall on our faces in proper humility and worship.

Psalm 99 repeatedly tells us that our God is not only a great King, but also a holy king.  In verses 3, 5, and 9, the majesty and greatness of God in reigning over all the earth is sealed by the psalmist words, “he is holy.”  The whole of Psalm 99 declares that the Lord our God is King and reigns with perfect holiness.

The word “holy’ means justice, equity, and forgiving love.  The coexistence of God’s judgment and grace, so incomprehensible to human minds is vigorously affirmed in verse 8.  God forgives and God punishes.  These are the two sides of God’s awesome, holy kingship.

The word “holy” also means separate or distinct.  When used in reference to God, it means that there is no other being like God.  He stands alone and above all authority and power.  As creatures and as sinners we are separated from him in authority, power, and righteousness.  “Holy” emphasizes the distance between God and humanity.

But, and this is big, God loved us so much and so deeply that, in Jesus’ death and resurrection, he bridged that separation and invites us into his holy presence, being clothed with the holy righteousness of Christ.  And most amazingly, he wants us to call him “Father.”

The apostle Paul becomes so overwhelmed by God’s gracious love to him, that when writing about being such an unworthy recipient of God’s grace, he bursts forth with a doxology of praise in the first chapter of his letter to Timothy – “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  (1:17).

May we also be overwhelmed with joy and sing the hymn written by Robert H. Grant;

“O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing his power and his love; our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, in thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail;  thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 2, 2019

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley