Healing Rays of Righteousness

One of my favorite places to relax and reorient my thoughts, especially when experiencing difficult, troublesome days, is the glider on our back porch.  As I gently swing, my eyes take in the quiet beauty of God’s wonder-filled creation surrounding me.  And the slow setting of the afternoon sun awakens my thoughts to God’s goodness in caring and providing for me and my family.

While lingering with these good thoughts the evening darkness settles in and I remember that my worrisome situation has not changed.  But as I lift my eyes and look to the heavens, I see a canopy of brilliant, twinkling stars dancing above me.  Slowly my perspective shifts from my very present troubles to my very present God, who is the creator and sovereign ruler of both the heavens and the earth.  I remember that he created and lovingly named every twinkling star.  Even more amazing and heart-throbbing is to remember that he also created me and knows my name.

In Isaiah 40, the prophet is writing to his people after they had experienced years of exile and many had given up hope of ever returning to their homeland.  They had suffered so much adversity and were so beaten down by life that they were beginning to think that God had abandoned them.  Isaiah knew it was difficult to keep a right perspective about God when facing life’s difficult challenges and disappointments.

For this reason, Isaiah believed it was important for his people to remember the grandeur and majesty of the God they served and his awesome power.  And so he speaks God’s words of comfort to them, and in verse 22, reminds them that their God formed the heavens and that “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.  He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.”

And to help them regain a Godly perspective on life, Isaiah speaks the voice of the Lord in verse 25, asking, “To whom will you compare me?  Or who is my equal?”  He then encourages them in verse 26 to look up and consider the heavens filled with stars.  “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:  Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”

At this point the prophet asks a very crucial question in verse 27, “Why do you complain, Jacob?  Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?”

Isaiah then argues against any remaining doubt by declaring in verses 28-29, that by observing God’s magnificent creation, one sees the power, strength, and loving care of God.  “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, and Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Having reaffirmed God’s glorious attributes to his people who were discouraged, beaten down, and worn out with life, Isaiah now offers them renewed confidence and hope, with these words in verses 30-31, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

When you look at the circumstances of your life, what do you see?  Are the current problems facing you so overwhelming that it seems there will be no end to the struggle?  Do obstacles in your path prevent you from imagining what might be possible tomorrow?  Do you despair of any hope for real and complete healing to happen?  Are you feeling alone and powerless?

If so, Isaiah says to you, “lift up your eyes and look to the heavens” and rejoice that the Creator of the universe knows your name, sees your situation, and hears your cries.  The ever-loving God knows and understands your fears, your hopes, and dreams.  Look up and know that God’s wisdom is unsearchable, and God’s power is unmatched.

Look up and remember that more than the stars in the heavens, more than the flowers of the fields, or the birds of the air, God dearly loves you.  Look to the heavens and receive the gift of Godly perspective.  God is so big, and you are so small, yet God is holding you in the palm of his strong hand, protecting, planning, and providing for you.  Be at rest in his holy, loving presence. Blessed be his name!

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 24, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

I do not like confrontations of any kind and seek to avoid situations of disagreements and conflicts. I admit to placing a high value on maintaining good relationships with others and tend to be extremely careful not to do or say anything that would dampen or strain those relationships. However, I must also admit to frequently silencing my own understandings, perspectives, and convictions, rather than attempting to be a peacemaker like Jesus.

That is why the words in Psalm 34:12-14, “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” prick and challenge me every time I read them.

Furthermore, Jesus surely affirms the psalmist admonition to “seek peace and pursue it” by saying in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

At the conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount Beatitudes, Jesus clearly stated to his disciples that his intentions for them is to be “peacemakers” involved in God’s kingdom activity of bringing reconciliation and peace into the world for all of humanity. He wanted them to understand that just as he taught and modeled a lifestyle of peacemaking while he was with them, he intended that they would do the same after he left them.

These two texts tell me that the “joy of life” as it was meant to be experienced was to be found in peacemaking involvements at the center of trouble. I love life and seek its joy and these two texts challenge my tendency to avoid getting involved as a peacemaker in conflictual situations. I am hearing from Jesus that Christian peacemakers belong in the middle of explosive situations to diffuse and to heal.

Let me clarify what I think Jesus meant by the word “peacemakers.” It has been suggested that since the Hebrew word “shalom” means everything which makes for a person’s highest good, this beatitude could be read as “Blessed are those who make this world a better place for all people to live in.”

Abraham Lincoln stated this as his desire, “Die when I may, I would like it to be said of me, that I always pulled up a weed and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”

There are those who interpret this beatitude only in a spiritual sense, and read it to say, “Blessed is the man who makes peace in his own heart and in his own soul.” I agree that there is an inner conflict between good and evil in all of us, and happy is the person who has given his whole heart and life to God and has received God’s peace in their inner self.

But the Jewish rabbis taught that the highest task which a man can perform is to establish right relationships between man and man. I am convinced that this is the deeper and more complete meaning Jesus intended in his use of the word “peacemaker.”

There will always be “troublemakers” in the world. They are found in almost every grouping of people, and they are doing the devil’s work of dividing and destroying. In contrast to these persons, “peacemakers” are people doing God’s work of uniting and giving life to all persons.

For this reason, Jesus called and challenged his disciples and us to be “peacemakers” by getting involved in situations of conflict and work to build bridges of understanding and heal the hurts of broken relationships.

It is especially important to note that Jesus said God’s happiness is given to the maker of peace, not to the lover of peace, nor the keeper of peace. In other words, what this beatitude demands is not the passive acceptance of things as they are to keep peace, but rather the active stepping into situations of disagreement, divide, and conflict to bring reconciliation and healing of relationships. Peacemakers are persons who stand in the gap between the opposing sides.

Today, the political, racial, and religious divides are being deliberately and aggressively magnified, and peacemakers are urgently needed to listen, clarify, mediate, and open communication between the conflicting parties.

Of course, this is often risky and dangerous activity, and that’s why Jesus continued with another beatitude in verse 10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Even so, I am being challenged to ask myself sincerely and compassionately, what may be the specific things God wants me to say and do as a peacemaker. How can I be a “healing ray of righteousness” in bringing clarification, empathy, and love to our communities and nation?
Shalom to you!

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 17, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

Respect for human dignity has become a disposable commodity in a culture of selfish individualism and gratification. When it comes to affirming and protecting the dignity of others, it seems our society has lost its heart and soul. Many in our society are strong in vocal advocating for same, but extremely weak in practice. Increasingly more of us find it easy and acceptable to cruelly “trash” those we do not like or who disagree with us.

Political campaigns and conversations have deteriorated into such sickening trash talking about opponents that any possibility of learning truthful facts about a person or situation is almost non-existent. Unfortunately, this childish and prejudiced name-calling has become the dark character of our American culture in both secular and religious arenas. And most distressing is that such behavior is encouraged at the highest level of our current government leaders. Shame, shame, shame!

What is the origin of our human dignity and why does it demand our respect? In the biblical record of Jeremiah, God is about to send Jeremiah as a prophet into a culture that had lost all reverence for human life. They were corrupting themselves with the most flagrant disregard for human dignity. To encourage and commission Jeremiah as his prophet, God says to him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Our earthbound little minds imagine conception as only a biological event. Yet this verse forces us to rethink the deeper truths regarding the origin and dignity of human life. If God, as sovereign Creator, is present in the process of human conception, then we must accept that the value of human life is wrapped in the wonderous glory of an eternal relationship with him.

The Psalmist knows this to be true and praises God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14).

And there is more. Listen carefully to what God said to Jeremiah. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” I clearly hear God saying that our conception and birth are not our real beginning of existence, nor will death end our existence.

Wow! What a wondrous thought to ponder. Before the day and moment of our conception, God knew us. And God dignified us by calling us into existence. God names you and me in his mind and dignifies each of us with a special purpose, plan, and destiny.

It is so awesome to think that before my mother lovingly cradled me in her arms, God wrapped his greater arms around me and held me close, instilling in me a purpose uniquely designed for me. This wondrous thought infuses me with glorious and eternal dignity.

The psalmist acknowledges this truth in his praise to God, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Ps. 139:16-17).

But, hear ye, hear ye! What God did in bringing us into existence, he did for every human being on this earth. I repeat, What God did in bringing us into existence, he did for every human being on this earth.

It is of utmost imperative that we let this truth permeate our whole being, and into the deepest recesses of our mind and heart. Otherwise, it becomes easy to debate and decide about others based on their usefulness to us, or whether we feel comfortable in their presence.

It is true that many people do not live up to the dignity God instilled in them at their birth. Many do not live up to God’s purpose, plan, and potential. There are many reasons for such failure, but probably the saddest is when it is because they did not receive the affirmation, dignity and respect needed to experience and grow into wholesome personhood.

In my years of ministry as pastor and chaplain, I have encountered individuals in our churches, communities, and workplaces, who struggled with low self-esteem and worthlessness, largely because they seldom heard or felt God’s dignifying affirmation through the human beings that work, play, and worship with them. How sad.

It has also been my joy to see the lives of many of these persons being transformed as they moved into a healing environment that dignified their personhood and treated them with respect as uniquely gifted persons of great worth.

And, I am convinced that our communities, nation, and world can be transformed in like manner if we could agree to reclaim God’s gifting of human dignity for ourselves; and in turn, commit ourselves to dignifying the personhood of all others regardless of their race, religion, politics, or nationality, even as our creator God so graciously does. May God help us to do so!

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 10, 2020
 www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

CONGRATULATIONS on your well-deserved successful graduation and best wishes for all your tomorrows!  The coronavirsus pandemic has stolen from you, our children and grandchildren, a significant celebratory event of successful graduation from your schools of learning.  I still remember and enjoy the many happy memories of my graduation and sincerely regret that this milestone in your life could not be similarly celebrated.

You missed the heart-throbbing excitement of hearing your name called and walking across the stage to receive your hard-earned diploma.  You also missed the opportunity of hearing from your peers and commencement speakers their challenge for you to allow the classroom learnings and shared peer experiences, that shaped and molded you, to now become a positive influence for good in the world.

And so, I thought to share some proverbial wisdom that I have gathered and filed over the years as common-sense counsel and encouragement that you may find helpful in your life journey.  In fact, they may still be helpful reminders to us living in much longer post-graduate years of life.

Always practice the Golden Rule:
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
We make a living by what we get, and we make a life by what we give.

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
(Proverbs 22:1)
Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.

The three essentials of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.
Do not become so busy making a living that you forget how to live.

Our duty is not to see through one another, but to see one another through.
God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.
If the eye has no tear, the soul has no rainbow.
When your knees knock, kneel on them.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
(Proverbs 4:23)
Keep your head and your heart in the right direction and you will never have to worry about your feet.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you must eat them.

There is no tranquilizer in the world more effective than a few kind words.
An apology is a good way to have the last word.

The person who angers you, controls you.
Making peace starts with a smile.

Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.
Horse sense is stable thinking coupled with the ability to say “nay.”

The steam that blows the whistle cannot drive the wheels.
If you growl all day, you are likely to feel dog tired at night.

A bend in the road is not the end of the road … unless you fail to make the turn.
Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.
A genuinely happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

And finally,
Whatever you do, never stop learning, exploring, growing, and challenging yourself to be your best.

Continue growing in mind and spirit.
Keep adding to the goodness and beauty in the world.
Keep developing those unique dreams and talents that make you who you are.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
(Proverbs 9:10)

A hundred years from now it will not matter what amount was in your bank account,
the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove.
But the world may be different because you were loving and important in the life of a child.

Sincerely,
From we who love you dearly.
May our prayers and blessings follow you into the future.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – June 3, 2020
http://www.geigler13.wordpress.com
Ray M. Geigley

It has been forty days since Easter Sunday and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  During these forty days, Jesus has been with the disciples, teaching them, feeding them, and spending time with them.  Now it is time for Jesus to go.

Jesus has completed the work given him by God.  Now it is time for him to physically exit this world, so that the Holy Spirit can always come and be God’s presence and power with his people everywhere.

Jesus leads his disciples out to the Mount of Olives near Bethany.  He blesses them and commissions them to be his witnesses, and then he was “taken up” and “a cloud hid him from their sight” as he ascended to heaven.

As they were “looking intently up into the sky” two men (messengers from heaven, angels) appeared and asked a question, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  (Acts 1:10-11).

Let me leap forward to our world and our current environment.  With the angels’ words just being repeated to us in the year 2020,  let’s rewrite the story to include the questions that may be swirling within you and me as we stand looking into the sky, wondering and reflecting on the angels’ message.

Okay, but what do we do now?  Jesus said, “Wait in Jerusalem.”  Wait for what?  Jesus said, “Wait for the gift.”  What gift?  Jesus said, “Wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.”  How long must we wait?  Jesus said, “That’s not important for you to know.  Just trust God’s timing.  Waiting is key to your receiving the gift.”

But why must we wait and why is the gift important to us?  Jesus said, “You need the Holy Spirit to empower and enable you to have the strength to partner with me in doing my mission of accomplishing the Father’s Kingdom work on earth as it is in heaven.  Waiting is preparation time for receiving the tools needed for building a new creation with its new order of priorities and hopes.”  (End of story rewrite).

Wow!  A new creation with new priorities and hopes.  That is a mind-exploding reality that seems almost impossible and certainly needs further exploring.  This thought is so counter-cultural and so counter-religious in our day.

Many Christians have concluded that this earth is doomed and so “waiting” is all about praying and waiting until we can be rescued from this ugly world of sin and darkness and taken into a “new creation” called heaven, where there is no darkness of sin and evil.

I disagree with this religious conclusion based on a distorted and bias view of Biblical scriptures.   I agree with N. T. Wright’s counter response to this way of thinking, “Never at any point do the gospels or Paul say that Jesus has been raised, therefore we are all going to heaven.  They all say, Jesus is raised, therefore the “new creation” has begun, and we have a job to do.”

Is not this the angels’ message in their question, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?”

By physically leaving, Jesus underscores his teaching that our purpose is in this world is to be his ambassadors, giving witness to his aliveness in the world.  The One who is no longer physically present for the world to see, becomes visible in us, his people, when we live and speak of God’s glory, love, and amazing grace.  Jesus Christ is made visible in the world when we make the compassion and mercy of God real by how we relate to and care for one another, this world, and all of creation.

From the moment God called a special people, God made it clear that every person who bears God’s name has been called into existence to be a blessing in this world.  Those were God’s words to Abraham, and they are basically Jesus’ instructions to the church.

The angels testified to Jesus’ ascension, and they testified that someday Jesus will return.  In the meantime, we are not to stand around wringing your hands wondering what we should do.  We are to get on with the work of building and enlarging God’s kingdom.  This means being busy in making disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching one another what it means to belong to this wonderful Lord who is now King over all of creation.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – May 27, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

The Memorial Day activities of parades and services to remember and honor those who died in our nation’s wars, left me wondering why this is so different to the way our society responds to the deaths of its fellow citizens.  On the one hand, it responds with an all-out effort to remember and honor those who died in its wars, but on the other hand, it seems to encourage an all-out effort to quickly hush the memories following the death and funeral of a dearly loved family member or friend.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well when he wrote, “Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love.  …It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap.  He doesn’t fill it, but on the contrary, he keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain.  …The dearer and richer our memories, the more difficult the separation.  But gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.  The beauties of the past are borne, not as a thorn in the flesh, but as a precious gift in themselves.”

We know this to be true, and we rightly remember and honor those who died in our wars.  But I am saddened that we do not encourage the same response following the deaths of our neighbors and friends and wonder why.

We all acknowledge that it hurts to remember, but many believe the myth that because it hurts, they must somehow help the family to quietly shelve the death of a loved one and move on with life.  It is believed that to “bring it up” will reopen the old wounds and cause more pain.  And it most likely will.

However, they will be remembering and hurting, silently and alone, whether we “bring it up” or not. It is so important for all of us to rightly understand that grief is not a process of forgetting, but rather a process of learning to cope while we painfully remember and talk about our grievous loss.

To not readily and openly talk about our relationship with the person who died and the memories they gave us is to rob ourselves and the bereaved of good grief work and healing, as well as to steal significance from the one who died.

In his booklet, The Gift of Significance, Doug Manning writes, “The grieving process is a gradual change from the physical presence of a loved one to the sense of presence provided by the memories.  The goal is to learn to live with the person not being here.  Coping without their presence happens when we begin to find comfort in the memories.”  

Establishing the significance of the life lived in our midst is key to the healing of the pain suffered in the loss.  Significance is established as we remember and share memories of that relationship with one another.

Memories take us by the hand and lead us back through the mists of the past to the happy scenes and experiences of yesterday.  And when a life has been lived constructively and for God and others, these memories provide for many a beautiful walk through a pleasant garden.

From my own experience, I have learned that one of the most priceless gifts that God gives us in the death of another person is the garden of memories.   These memories are ours to keep, to hold and to cherish, a treasure that no one can rob from us. A treasure that should never be buried or locked up inside of us.

The writer of Proverbs suggested this when he wrote, “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,” (Pr. 10:7a).

The ability to nurture and enjoy this garden of memories means that you never need to do as is often said, “pay your last respects” to a loved one who has died.  Why?  Because every time the memories are audibly shared with another, they keep those “last respects” for a loved one or friend alive and growing.

Yes, memories are a gift given us by those now separated from us.  Let us rightly cherish them and freely share them frequently with one another.  In so doing, we both bless and are blessed.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – May 20, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

In Exodus 3:7-12, we are reminded that God sees misery, hears crying, and is concerned about suffering.  The misery, crying, and suffering causes God to come down to rescue those who are experiencing such.  However, God does not come down to do the work.  He comes down to delegate the rescue operation to a human being, which in this case is Moses.

Moses tries to excuse himself, but God does not back off.  Instead God says – “So now, go.  I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. … I will be with you. … When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

And so, I believe that even to this day, God sees, God hears, and God is concerned about all the suffering and misery in the world.  And to this day, God comes down to delegate to us “Jesus followers” his gracious rescue operation of those crying, suffering friends and neighbors living in misery.

But if we do not see misery, if we do not hear crying, we probably have little concern about those who are suffering, and most likely shelve the delegation order and ignore its mandate.

I find inspiration and motivation in my life and witness as a disciple of Jesus from the following words of J. H. Jowett;                        (A Guide to Prayer, p. 357 – The Upper Room)

It is our God-appointed office to lead men and women who are weary and wayward, exultant or depressed, eager, or      indifferent, into “the secret place of the Most High.”  We are to help the sinful to the fountain of cleansing, the bond slaves to the wonderful songs of deliverance.  We are to help the halt and the lame to recover their lost nimbleness.  We are to help the  broken-winged into the healing light of “the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  We are to help the sad into the sunshine of grace. We are to help the buoyant to clothe themselves with “the garment of praise.”  We are to help redeem the strong from the atheism of despair.  We are to help little children to see the glorious attractiveness of God, and we are to help the aged realize the encompassing care of the Father and the assurance of the eternal home.

The story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 I think would be Jesus’ response to us who seek to become more God-like in our ability to see, hear, and be concerned about the suffering around us.

According to verse 47, Blind Bartimaeus cries out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”  And when he is told to be quiet, he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” This is the first time that Jesus is publicly called the “Son of David.”  In doing so, blind Bartimaeus makes a declaration of faith that he sees something the others are not seeing.  He sees and identifies Jesus as the long-awaited Son of David, the promised Messiah.

Being invited, Bartimaeus “threw aside his coat” (used to catch coins), “jumped up” (abandons his sitting position as a beggar), “and came to Jesus” (on his own, without help).

Jesus meets the faith of blind Bartimaeus with the question, “What do you want me to do for you?”   The question is open-ended, a blank check, just waiting to be filled in.  Bartimaeus says, “Teacher, I want to see!”  It is a simple, straightforward request, but one that is much harder to fulfill than a plea for a job or a bag of gold, or even a place of honor in the community.

“What do you want me to do for you?”  Remember, Bartimaeus is a beggar, so he could have asked for a bag of gold.  He is unemployed, so he could have asked for a job.  He had no status in the community, so he could have asked for the respect of others.  Instead, he says, “Teacher, I want to see!”  I sometimes wonder how I would have responded if I were blind Bartimaeus.

“Go, your faith has healed you” says Jesus.  And “Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”  What else can you imagine him doing? 

Yes, this was a physical healing, but I believe Jesus can also heal our spiritual and social blindness as well.  He can fully cleanse and heal our eyes, allowing us to see as he sees, if only we would ask, “Teacher, I want to see!”   He is always inviting us with his question, “What do you want me to do for you?”

In his song, “Blowing in the Wind” Bob Dylan asks some hard questions that I think calls for our personal response.

“How many times must a man look up / Before he sees the sky?

Yes, and how many ears must one man have / Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head / And pretend that he just doesn’t see?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – 5/13/2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

When educational philosopher John Dewey was 89 years old, a young medical doctor was questioning his philosophical view of life and asked, “What’s the good of such claptrap?”  “Where does it lead you?”  Professor Dewey responded by saying, “The good of it is that you climb mountains.”

The young man scoffed, “Climb mountains!  And what’s the use of doing that?”  Professor Dewey answered, “When you climb mountains, you see other mountains to climb.  You come down, climb the next mountain, and you see still others to climb.”  Then he added, “When you are no longer interested in climbing mountains to see other mountains to climb, life is over.”

In other words, if there are no challenges, no difficult mountains to climb, then you may still have a physical pulse, but you are not fully alive and living.  It is the mountainous challenges that give our life meaning, purpose and energy.

I find it interesting and revealing that the biblical story of Moses’ life tells us that the major pivotal moments in Moses’ life took place on mountains?  First, there was Mount Horeb, the mountain of God’s call.  Then came Mount Sinai, the mountain of God’s commandments.  And finally, there was Mount Nebo, which we can call the mountain of commencement.

It was from this final mountain that Moses was privileged to view the end results of his life’s work, the promised land.  From this mountain he also entered the heavenly promised land, graduating from this life and into the next.  For Moses, there continued to be the challenge of another mountain, until he was called into heaven from his final mountain.

Whether we be young, middle-aged, or senior adults, it is always good to ask ourselves for what purpose am I living during these years?  Is your purpose just to hang on as long as you can, just like the bumper sticker advertised: “I just want to live long enough to be a burden to my children.”

I suppose that can be a purpose for living, and it may indeed prolong your life, or probably more correctly, make it just seem that way to everybody around you.  Obviously, we should find a purpose that is bigger than just having a cantankerous spirit.

What keeps you going?  What is your purpose on planet earth?  Even more importantly, is that purpose one given you by God?  If you believe it is, then you, like Moses, can still be young in mind and spirit at age 80.  If not, then you most likely will be feeling old at age 40.

You are old when you feel that tomorrow holds no meaningful challenge, no mountain to climb.  You are old when you say, “I’m too old for that.”  You are old when you think that you have learned all that there is to learn about life and God.  You are old when you talk to people younger than you but are not willing to listen and learn from them.  You are old when you only talk about a purpose for living in the past tense and not in the future tense.  How old are you feeling today?

On the other hand, if you believe you have a God-given purpose for living, you will daily feel motivated and energized toward experiencing even more learning and growing experiences.  You will be young no matter how many candles are on your birthday cake.

Keep climbing every mountain and grasp every challenging opportunity.  Keep focused on claiming your spiritual legacy, your purpose for living, and follow God’s guidance.  For if you do, then every day you will climb to a new mountain peak, from which you may see tomorrow’s mountain, and then the next day’s mountain, until you graduate to the promised land standing on a mountain peak.  What an exciting way to live, and what a glorious way to die.

And so, I say to myself and to you, keep climbing every mountain.  We cannot relive the past, and try as we may, we cannot live the future yet.  All that we will ever have to hold in our hands is “today.”  What will we do with it?

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – May 6, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

During several difficult and dark times of uncertainty, anxiety, and loss, in my life, I frequently turned to the familiar words of Psalm 23 for reassurance and renewal of my trust in God.  I repeatedly found strength in quoting verse 6 of Psalm 23 in my thoughts.  “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.”

Because I found the comfort and encouragement that I needed in those times, Psalm 23 became my “go to” passage in my pastoral ministry as chaplain to those going through the dark valley of approaching death and to those grieving the loss of a loved one.

The power of the psalm lies in its simplicity.  The “Lord” is portrayed as the caring shepherd who loves his sheep and is their constant provider of nourishment and rest, and protector against all evil enemies.

The words “Even though I walk through the darkest valley” speak not only of physical death, but also of those terribly frightening and shadowed places in life’s journey when we scarcely know what the next step is to take.  It speaks of those times and places when the beauty and serenity of life is either threatened or shattered by crisis or tragedy.  There is nothing calm or soothing about this scene, but it is the reality of living in this world.

And yet, from the shadows we hear the voice of faith, “The Lord … my shepherd” walks with me, cares about my well-being and leads me through the valley of scary darkness.  The psalmist takes comfort in knowing that the Shepherd is with him and has a rod and staff at the ready to protect him.

It is so comforting and reassuring to me to hear the psalmist candidly facing the inevitable.  He realistically declares not “if” but “though I walk through the darkest valley.”   Yes, there are times that we are not “lying down in green pastures” or resting “besides quiet waters” but are instead walking through a valley of darkness.

Though none of us will live life without needing to walk through a dark valley, the psalmist makes it clear that God does not intend for us to stay in this scary place.  The valley of darkness is something one goes through.  Dark valleys are not resting places, but passageways to a better place.

We can walk through our problems.  We can walk through our sorrows.  We can walk through our pain.  We can walk through our screw-ups.  What Psalm 23:4 promises us is that, in all these dark valley journeys, the Lord, our Shepherd, will walk through with us.

It is reassuring to know that our Shepherd has journeyed through this dark valley before.  The only reason for leading sheep through a dark valley where there might be risk to the sheep is because the shepherd knows there’s something on the other side of the valley that the flock needs for them to flourish; and that he, the Shepherd, can handle whatever threats to the sheep that might occur while passing through.

Though we are going through a scary place of deadly risk, the psalmist says his fear is eclipsed by the presence of God: “for you are with me.”  Only the Lord’s presence can give us complete comfort and security.  Along with his presence the Lord also protects us by his almighty power and goodness: “your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  The “rod” beats off the external enemy, while the crooked “staff” snatches us from harm’s way and our own wandering foolishness.

Whether our dark valleys are times of trouble or the actual passage through death itself, we can be confident that God is not only with us but is more than equal to whatever threats to our well-being that may lurk within the times of darkness.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”  He makes me … He leads me … He refreshes me …  He guides me … He is with me … He comforts me … He anoints me. “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

THANKS BE TO GOD!

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – April 29, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley

On the evening of that first Easter Day, the disciples locked themselves in a room, fearful of what might happen tomorrow. They were certain that the enemies of Jesus would now come after them, his disciples, and the thought of possible death by crucifixion terrified them. That fearful consequence now loomed greater because Jesus’ body was gone from the tomb and they could be accused of stealing it.  And so, they hid behind locked doors.

Maybe you are hiding in fear of tomorrow right now. Someone you dearly loved has died, and the thought of the tomorrow without that person has you paralyzed, feeling alone, abandoned, and afraid. Or, because of an aggressive and deadly coronavirus you’ve lost your job or small business and are now wondering how you will survive financially.  Or, you have suffered through a painful marriage and divorcement and the thought of loving again is so risky and frightening that you want to lock yourself away from such possibility.

In grief counseling, we talk about living into a new normal after the death of a loved one.  We know there is no returning to the normal we knew and were comfortable with.  But facing the need to live into a new normal is scary, uncertain, and uncomfortable, allowing anxiety and fear to build and threatening to overwhelm our emotional and physical well-being.

We disciples of Jesus living today, like the disciples of Jesus in the week following the first Easter Sunday, are not immune to fear’s consuming attack, robbing us of the joy and peace that Jesus alive offers us. And so, I find it easy to identify with the anxious, fearful disciples of Jesus because I also have experienced those times of being fearful, weak in faith and untrusting.

It also helps me to remember that these men whom Jesus had recruited to be his disciples were not atheists or agnostics.  They may not have been religious scholars, but they certainly were familiar with the Psalms. They no doubt grew up reciting, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. …Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; …” 

I am certain they were familiar with the stories of Joshua, Moses, and the other heroes of the Old Testament. And furthermore, they had been with Jesus for three years, and often heard him encouraging them and others to trust him and to not be afraid. But in their time of crisis they became very anxious and afraid, just like me.

And so, I think the first words of Jesus to his fear-filled disciples, “Peace be with you” was much more than a simple familiar greeting. I believe he gave them a gift, a holy treasure, the gift of peace. And when he showed them the nail prints in his hands and the great wound in his side, they “were overjoyed” for they saw the visible evidence of his aliveness, and in seeing him present with them, believed and received his gift of peace.

To experience the powerful, loving presence of the Risen Christ is the best antidote for the many fears that cause us to hide behind locked doors.  To see the resurrected wounds of his love for us in his hands and side and to hear him say “Peace be with you!” is the greatest of all joys.

Sunday worship celebrating Christ’s resurrection with its certain hope of life beyond the grave is wondrous news, but Monday morning’s reality with its tomorrows of disappointments and difficulties sets in and we soon become anxious and fearful.

Diagnosis disappoint, surgeries fail, businesses go bankrupt, investments evaporate, tornadoes and earthquakes destroy, cancer consumes, accidents happen, relationships end, and there is no returning to what was normal before.

But John’s gospel story reminds us that the calming, powerful presence of the risen Christ comes into our shuttered hiding places and into our darkest valleys and offers us his peace and joy. And with the psalmist we can say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

With the good news of Easter Sunday still fresh in our minds and hearts, let us open wide the locked door and allow the living Lord Jesus Christ to enter into our life and enable us to joyfully greet each new tomorrow with “Good morning, Lord” instead of a fearful “Good lord, morning.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – April 22, 2020

www.geigler13.wordpress.com

Ray M. Geigley