Month: October 2024

Okay, Let It Rain

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It may be that we are all acquainted with the meaning (if not the literal statement) of the old saying: “Into every life, a little rain must fall.”  We may not like it, but we must realize that troubles tend to make their presence known to any and all of us.  Rank or status in society offers little to no protection.  With such a reality we are left with a choice.  Do we surrender as if paralyzed, or do we seek with hope and optimistic faith.  Reality reminds us that we cannot completely avoid disrupting troubles.  So, we are left to consider how we will manage our lives when those troubles are making their presence so determinedly known.

Consider how we each look at our invasive troubles.  My dear deceased friend and predecessor just might have shared the best answer for us.  He was fond of saying, “Look for the good.” Yes, it is a simple statement, but admittedly, it packs a challenging punch.  All too often, when troubles strike, we find it hard to believe that there is something good ahead of us, much less being able to imagine it.  You know what I mean.  When we are “enjoying” wallowing in our miseries the last thing we want to consider is that there might be one of those “silver linings” to be found.  Seriously, when we are confronted with troubles, it is a lot like being stuck in “rush hour” traffic.  It is hard to see beyond the taillights of the cars in front of you.

Jesus challenged listeners to see beyond the “rain”, the difficulties in life.  His Jewish nation was tired of oppression being brought by outside forces, and even some from within.  Jesus offered the gleaming light of hope.  It was not some psychological mumbo jumbo that He offered.  It was not a magic wand.  What He offered was simply an individual and personal recognition of God’s blessings.  Jesus assured them that the blessings were available to each of them.  His message brought multitudes of people to come and listen.  They were anxious, and justifiably so.  They longed for a leader who would be their savior.  They wanted to hope beyond the “rain”.

As they gathered on the hillside that day, the multitudes heard what they did not expect.  The message of Jesus began with a series of conditioned promises (Matthew 5:3-12).  Martin Luther referred to that series as “The Beatitudes”.  They were impressive to the initial audience.  They are still seen as beautiful, lyrical, and maybe even poetic. 

Through the centuries that list of blessings has been studied, translated, defined and explained in a multitude of ways.  Without exception, there is a conclusion of magnificence.  Still, each of us is left to wonder about our own individual and personal application.

Take time to consider the descriptive statements of Jesus, and the states of life involved.   Each is a tough challenge to face in life.  Whether it is a poverty of spirit, a hunger for righteous living, enduring persecution, or any of the other states described, there is a connection to God’s blessings.  If there is a catch, it is that recognition of the opportunity is required.  Note, it’s not really much of a catch.  So, turning back to the challenge of my old friend, there remains the importance of looking to find the good in any person or situation.

For sure, there are circumstances that raise the trouble to a level that may seem to be overwhelming.  For example, how do we respond to the most personally difficult news we may face?  I am reminded of my grandmother.  After a few tests about the discomforts she faced each day, my aged grandmother received her terminal news.  The doctor stated that she had advanced pancreatic cancer.  There would be no cure.  Cancer would be taking her life very soon.  Two of her daughters were with her for the news, and each daughter burst into tears.  My grandmother considered the nearly 94 years of her life.  She turned to her daughters and calmly said, “Don’t cry.  I was wondering what would take me out of this world.”  She found a sense of relief.  Then she set herself to live in whatever time she still had.  About a month later she was gone, but the legacy of her life wasn’t.  It still isn’t.

Every circumstance of our lives has its own unique characteristics, problems, and blessings.  There is not a “one size fits all” remedy, as if there is a wave of a wand or a genie to grant a wish.  At the same time, there is a consistent opportunity to find the blessing; no matter how large or small it may seem to be.  My wife and I have shared a thought we find comforting during those most stressful and challenging situations of life.  Our reminder is: “We don’t know what the Lord has right around the corner.”  And every time we have rounded one of those corners, the Lord has had something good waiting for us.

Jesus didn’t say it would always be easy to recognize the blessing, or that it would always be what you would have it imagined it would be.  Still, it is there.  So, as the old song reminds us: When those heavy April showers come our way, remember to look for the May flowers.

So, when it rains, let it rain, and then let’s look for the good.

Russell L. Dyer

10/24/2024

You Know It Don’t Come Easy

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There are stories, whether written or told, that deeply touch the emotions of our lives.  Of course, Jesus told a great number of stories in His teaching.  Some of those stories were little more than a few lines, while others were much more elaborate.  Every story was intended to make a personal point to each of His listeners.  Some people were angered as they made applications to their lives.  Other people were moved to make changes in their patterns of life.  What they had in common was the personal impact of the story.

One of the most emotionally impacting and best remembered stories from Jesus was the one that is often called, “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32).   In the story, Jesus tells of a young man, who becomes lost and then is found.  Through the series of self-caused and circumstantial events, listeners and readers see the young man change.  From an arrogant and self-absorbed youth, he is transformed to a repentant, humble, and self-aware person.  At the pivotal point in the story, Jesus uses the phrase, “When he came to himself ….”  The story appears to end with the forgiveness and restoration the young man finds when he repentantly returns to his father.  Then to remind us of the struggles of the human element, the elder brother enters with grievances that focus on the prodigal behavior of his younger brother.  Again, it is the heart of the father and his embrace of both sons that elevates the beauty of the story.

Perhaps this special story has such a powerfully emotional impact, because we can see ourselves in the story.  For, if we are honest with self, we all have or have had some of the feelings recognizable in the picture of the young man.  Maybe we relate to the desire to be free of the restrictions found in the control of home and parents.  It might be a sense of wanting to break personal patterns and find a new self.  It could be a moment of realization; one that has brought a longing for the seemingly impossible opportunity to erase all the mistakes and transgressions of life.  With that erasure of wrongs, we then long to have the blessing of a new beginning.  Further, who doesn’t need a loving father who is ready to forgive and restore?  It is a message that easily becomes personal.  Yes, Jesus is relating to every person’s relationship with God.  For many of us, it is also a very real picture of personal relationships with family and others.

There are aspects known in life that are challenging and tough to absorb.  We may long to believe that at some point life ought to slide with comfort and ease.  Such is a foolish fantasy.  Yes, there may be days of blissful contentment.  There will also be days win which we pay high prices simply to get through the day.  Ringo Starr wrote in his song, “You know it don’t come easy.  Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues.  And you know it don’t come easy.”  For sure, there are many times that “it don’t come easy” when it comes to life.

In the naivete of childhood we dream of how easy life will be when we get to the point where we are only responsible to and for ourselves.  Of course, if we live long enough, we come to realize that such a childhood fantasy is far from reality.  There may be those hermits and escapees from community life who become something like islands unto themselves.  Such a life is no utopia.  The old song reminds us, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”  Yes, the lyrics are a bet trite, but it is still true.  As Jesus boldly stated,” Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13), the value of what Jesus meant went beyond His own sacrifice.  For, the most valuable treasures of life are found in the sharing of them, no matter the cost. 

When the prodigal son made his way home, he was beginning to see the need of the shared life.  So, as the father saw his wandering son traveling the road home, he was able to rebuild that costly hope.  Later, the father was able to challenge his other son toward that same value.  If we could have asked any of the three men, they may well have agreed with the point.  For none of them did it come easy.

So when a story cuts so deeply into the fabric of our lives there is the privilege to learn and to grow.  As in the story, becoming the people we need to be comes to us by way of meeting challenges, making mistakes, and embracing new opportunities.  It is a part of what is presented in all three characters of Jesus’ story.  How we view our lives and the lives of the people around us cannot help but be affected by the imagery in the stories we hear and share.  Just because it “don’t come easy” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t embrace the opportunity.

Russell L. Dyer

10/16/2024