Reluctant Retiree

According to Google, patience is the “capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”. In the Bible, this quality is often regarding relationships with people and God. I struggle with the ability to be patient consistently. When I feel like someone is making another person suffer, especially if that person is me, I often begin to get angry. Most of the time my impatience is internalized only, but sometimes I will lash out. Patience means bearing with the perceived faults of others and desiring to help them rather than get angry with them.

Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Thank God that He is patient with us, meaning that He tolerates our delays in obedience, the trouble we cause, and suffers our rebellions without getting angry. How fearsome it would be if we did not know that God is patient with us! How awful it would be if we felt that every time we messed up, God retaliated in some way! But God understands our struggles and weaknesses and His desire is that we return to Him and allow Him to build righteousness in us.

We all know what it takes to win, or at least what some winners say it takes to win. You have to practice and put in the effort. You need to want it more than your opponents and work harder than them. You will need a strong competitive desire. All these things sound right to us and make great slogans. They may even ensure victory on the athletic field. But life sends different struggles our way and simply working hard doesn’t always make us victorious.

Romans 8:37 says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Love wins. God’s love makes us victors over every form of struggle we face. In His love He provides us what is needed to pass through the struggles to the other side, making us more than conquerors, by persevering and becoming more godly. He grants us the true believer the ultimate victory when we pass through this life into the heavens and before His glorious presence. Hard work is good, but I will take the steadfast love of God with its certain victory.

“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:7-8

Joy is hard to find. We seek it in a million different ways and places, but rarely experience it for sustained periods of time. Could it be that we are looking in the wrong places?

Peace is even harder to find. Conflicts and anxiety fill the landscape and our lives. Just as we find a little calm, some other problem pops up and consumes our thoughts and energies. Is it possible to find peace in a world of conflicts?

God promises to give us both joy and peace. He gives us joy in the power of His presence and in His salvation. Our eternity is set and our daily walk is covered in His steadfast love. He gives us peace as we rest in His protection, knowing that He is able to keep us safe into eternity. The one who trusts in God will find exuberant joy and restful peace throughout their days.

Have you ever gotten yourself deeply involved in a project or cause and later found out that your efforts were largely wasted? I sure have. It seems easy to get excited by some new venture and put a lot of effort, time and money into. Yet as time goes by, that effort seems to be fruitless and exhausting at the same time. We need to ask ourselves why we are beginning this project. If we determine that the project only satisfies personal objectives that are selfish in nature, then we will find out later that our efforts only bring short term benefits.

Luke 12:33-34 says, “Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Think about this question for a minute; What is it that you want most right now? Whatever it is, it will lead your heart. Is it something that has eternal value or is it something that will waste away quickly? Let’s give ourselves to things that will stand through eternity and benefit others rather than just ourselves.

These days when I make a purchase I usually do some self-reflection. I ask myself if I really need what I intend to buy or is it something I just want, instead of needing. I also ask myself is this purchase going to make my life better in some way or is it going to complicate my life. Sometimes the things that we fret over actually harm us rather than make things better.

Luke 12:22-23, 30-31 says, “And he said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. for all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Don’t sweat the small stuff. God knows what is important for you and will always provide. Seek Him first and the other things that you need will come from Him.