Reluctant Retiree

Most contracts are limited in coverage and terms. Even the marriage vows where we say “until death” we will never part, seems to have a hidden limitation that says “unless I fall out of love for you”. The warranty on our purchases have all sorts of exclusions, making us wonder what is really covered. Why don’t we stand behind our workmanship and our promises?

Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God is faithful to His promises. He is true to His Word. And He never changes causing our relationship with Him to change also. God’s calling upon your life, His purpose for you, and the gifts He has given you will never change, can never be taken away, and won’t be replaced with something less valuable. He is trustworthy, so trust Him with everything.p

I am amazed by the skill and courage that it takes to excel on the balance beam in gymnastics. The gymnasts perform intricate feats at great risk. I don’t know how they do it, but I do know that they have to keep their eyes on the target and can’t become distracted by the noise and activity around them.

We have to negotiate our way through life in much the same way. We have goals, whether formalized or intuitive, and give our best attention and effort into achieving our objectives. The noise and activity around us tries to distract us, but we have to remain focused and keep our eyes on the goal.

Proverbs 4:27-29 says, “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” God is showing us how to make our way through life secure. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and take careful steps in His direction. Then we will not fall into the traps that evil sets for us on the right and on the left. Don’t fall for the lies that evil tells you. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Right now I have a high number of painful red spots on my face. I am highly susceptible to skin cancer and have many precancerous spots on my face and two confirmed cancer growths on my arm. The doctor recommended a chemotherapy cream for my face. It is strong stuff. My face feels like a bad sunburn and is painful when touched. But the goal of the cream is to remove the precancer before it becomes cancer and even more drastic counter measures are required, like cutting out the cancerous growths on my arm. So while it is painful now, hopefully it will make my skin healthy.

James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Good character is built on the crucible of struggles. These struggles can, indeed, wear us down and contribute to hopelessness. But they also can make us stronger. Just like the athlete who must endure many hard workouts to perform their best, we need to persevere through painful events to become steadfast in our faith. But we can’t do this on our own. We must depend upon and trust the strength and goodness of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is by His power that we can endure and grow. Its our darkest times that produce our shiniest moments by the light of Jesus.

We all seek protection of many types. We buy insurance to offset medical costs, automobile damage, home repairs, and long term disabilities. We run home as quickly as possible to seek the safety and comfort of familiar surroundings when we have a bad day. We go to court to protect what we feel is rightfully ours. These protections provide short term and limited coverage, thus they provide us with limited peace of mind.

The psalmist wrote, “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

Hopefully, most of us do not have enemies who are trying to do us bodily harm. But we all have enemies trying to do damage to our lives. The scam artist is trying to take our money. False medical personnel and unqualified influencers make our health unsafe. Politicians make our lives hazardous with improper reasoning and advice. Felons stand in the dark to take everything from us. Where do we go for true safety and comfort?

The psalmist placed his confidence in God. He found God to be many forms of protection for him, e.g. rock, strength, fortress, deliverer, and refuge. Why is God such effective protection? Because He is mightier than any enemy. Because He knows all things and protects us in His great wisdom. Because He is faithful to His promises like the one that says He will never leave us or forsake us. And Because He is good. Let’s put our trust in God, especially when we feel unsure or threatened. He will always come through for us. Peace of mind is found in having God as our refuge.

If you are like me, you periodically come across obstacles that seem too great to overcome. I have been given job assignments that I don’t feel qualified to do. I have faced life situations that I have no idea how to handle. I have questions for which I can see no answer. The world tells me that if I can dream it and then work hard enough, I can do anything. However, thoughtful observation of the world proves that optimistic statement to be blatantly false.

I Corinthians 1:27-29 says, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

God does not chose to use the things that are admired in the world to accomplish His purposes. Rather He choses to use what is despised in the world to bring glory to His name. That is good news to those of us who are weak, foolish, and lowly. He overcomes our inabilities with His unlimited abilities. He provides the wisdom and strength that we need to face the obstacles in our paths. All we need to do is surrender to His ways and trust Him.