Reluctant Retiree

We babysat our 3 year old granddaughter this morning. She is so full of energy, always moving and always excited. But, what caught my attention was her sense of wonder about everything around her. To her, everything is new and worth investigating. Even the smallest toy or shortest book is filled with amazing substances. I was envious at the sense of wonder in our granddaughter.

Something happens to us on our way to adulthood, or senior adulthood in my case. We lose our sense of wonder. We begin to look at the world suspiciously, not with the excitement of possibilities. We believe that we have already seen everything that comes our way. Nothing feels new and exciting.

If we will allow ourselves, thoughts of God will bring a sense of wonder. We will never know every glorious thing about God. We have limited understanding and God’s thoughts are infinite. As we seek to know Him better, He will amaze and astound us with His attributes and work. Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.”

God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts. His thoughts are higher, deeper, wider and greater than ours. In learning more about Him, we begin to get a glimpse of the wonders of God. For instance, we learn that God never stops thinking about His children and will never leave us. How wonderful to consider that Almighty God knows me and thinks about me!

I am certainly not a fashion designer, but I know that you don’t wear a swimsuit and sandals to a black-tie event. If you go to one of these soirees you will need to be prepared. You will have to obtain a formal dress or tuxedo, some nice shoes, and the proper accessories. If you are like me, you will also have to do some personal grooming as well. All this preparation is necessary to gain access to the event and to represent yourself well.

God has given us an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. We need to be prepared for the celebration. First, we must accept the invitation by trusting Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Without following Him, we will not be able to find our way to the feast. Also when we trust in Jesus for salvation, He clothes us with the robe of His righteousness. Without the proper clothing, we cannot enter and enjoy eternity with Him.

Luke 12:35 says, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.” God lovingly invites us to the wedding feast of Jesus. He even gives us the proper clothing, if we accept the invitation. The feast is prepared. We must be dressed in the robe of His righteousness and be ready to go. You won’t want to miss this glorious event.

“Be all you can be”, “Live the American Dream”, “You can be or do anything you work hard enough to accomplish”, and “You are special” are motivational expressions that we hear a lot in our culture.

We are a society of individualists who believe that we have the right to do and be what we want. But that is simply not true. First of all, we are not the only factor impacting our lives. Environment, government, society, and other restrictions affect our ability to accomplish what we desire. Secondly, and more importantly, God designed us for a specific purpose. If we stray from that purpose, we can never be all we should be and will never be satisfied with what we are. Thirdly, none of us live in a vacuum. Our lives and our actions impact others. God calls us to love one another, but living to accomplish our desires only will inevitably harm others.

Romans 13:9-10 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Hurting others at the expense of achieving our own goals is short-sighted and selfish. We can accomplish what we really want by loving God and loving our neighbor. What an impact we could have on our world if we simply love our neighbor!

Where do we go for comfort when we are feeling down? Some hit the bottle or take pills to medicate the pain away. Some take risks to cover the hurt they feel. Some of us withdraw to wallow in suffering and find our own way out. Others get busy with distractions to take their minds off their troubles. I suppose all of these strategies work to some degree. But they do not provide solutions or long-term relief, they only distract from the bad feelings for a little while.

In Jeremiah 31:13 God gives a promise to His people when He says, “I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” The only satisfactory and lasting comfort we can find is in a faith based relationship with God. He promised that our mourning would be turned into joy, and He is always faithful to His promises. Because He loves His children, those who are called by His name are assured that God will act on our behalf and fulfill His promises. Comfort and joy are just a prayer away.

Every day seems to bring us news of a scandal from the life of a celebrity. Most often they are caught doing something wrong in a nightclub or bar, or at a party. This really shouldn’t surprise us. Spending time in these environments is bound to affect even the most steadfast of people.

Romans 16:19 says, “For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Spending time in poor environments and giving attention to dark pursuits will inevitably be harmful to our character and draw us into scandalous behaviors. On the other hand, pursuing good and righteousness will lead us to integrity and godly behavior.