Reluctant Retiree

I have felt sad since I woke up this morning. As far as I can determine, I have no reason for this feeling. I am not sick. Nothing has recently gone wrong. I am not facing a bad, or even busy, day. I don’t have a sense of impending doom. I just feel sad.

I have come to the conclusion that it is okay to feel sad occasionally. It helps me sort through my feelings and make some sense of things. Still, every day I find some place of joy.

Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” God especially crafts every day for each of us. And in each day we can find something to rejoice over. It may only be the gift of good health or the beauty of the sunrise. It may come to us as fresh fallen snow to make a great snowman. Perhaps, someone has cooked your favorite meal, just how you like it. Maybe you received an unexpected act of kindness, or even better, you were the giver of the kind act. Life can be tough, but it is made better by finding the gifts God gives us in each day.

Ever since creation, people have all been guilty of the sin of self exaltation. Satan boasted that he would be like God, but God cast him out of heaven. At the Tower of Babel, people had a plan to rise into heaven, but God confused their languages and they dispersed. Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, thought that his greatness rose to the heights of heaven, but God humbled him and made him eat grass for seven years. Kings and Emperors have come and gone, even though each thought that their kingdom would rule the world forever.

If you think that these are just Bible stories, review history and look around you. People everywhere and throughout time have tried to exalt themselves above others and rule their sphere of influence. It’s not just the famous, strong, or wealthy that exalt themselves, we all do it. Examine your speech and actions over the last week. You will find that you made light of the accomplishments of others and exaggerated your own. You most likely tried to be the center of attention at times. You probably wanted to take control of a project or situation because you felt you could do a better job, while also believing you deserved the attention. These situations may seem minor in the grand scheme of things, but they are evidence of our strong desire to rule and be honored.

God calls self exaltation, or pride, sin. He alone rules over all circumstances and situations. Daniel 4:34-35 says, “for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?'” We make a grave error when we give into pride and exalt ourselves. We must remember that God is exalted above every name in heaven and on earth. His kingdom remains forever. Give Him the honor due His holy name.

P.S. Those words in Daniel 4 were spoken by King Nebuchadnezzer. Unfortunately he lived like an animal and ate grass for seven years before he was able to give God these praises. We will all bow before Him and worship Him. Don’t wait until you have eaten grass to forsake pride and humble yourself before God.

Recently I was asked to write an article about my accomplishments as a youth. To be honest, I couldn’t remember anything significant. My youth baseball teams received the Sportsmanship Award every year, primarily because we always lost and the league felt sorry for us. Those were the days before Participation Awards. I did manage to get good grades, but my friends didn’t care about that.

As we get older we pursue more sophisticated things. We seek a great job that fulfills and rewards us. We want a nice house and fancy car. We save for exotic, and expensive, vacations. Many of us seek fame and fortune. All of this may be good, at least while it lasts.

Matthew 6:19-20 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” How tragic is it to only pursue temporal things that will not last! We are given a short time on earth, so we must not waste it with frivolous pursuits. Let us respond to God’s calling by going after love, faith, and hope. Let’s enrich ourselves and others by doing good for all, leaving behind selfish pursuits. Then we are laying up treasures in heaven.

Off and on my wife and I try to downsize our possessions. It started when we left the States to live in Nepal. We gave away everything we owned, except the 11 boxes of stuff we needed in Nepal. We were blessed as we were able to provide some necessary things to people in need. Since we returned from Nepal, we have gradually acquired more and more things. Now I feel like we are overloaded again.

God makes an unusual promise in Psalm 36:7-9 when it is said of Him, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”

He promises that if we will draw near to Him in His house and trust Him as our refuge, We will find protection from evil underneath His wings. We will also receive His many delights, life, and light. Those delights include salvation, redemption, hope, joy, and His steadfast love. The life He gives is eternal and abundant. The light we receive will guide us to our purposes in Him. Come near to God and receive His delights.

Human beings are intrinsically selfish. When we give, we generally have some expectation of a return, if not a gift in return, some kindness. The same is true when we do something to help another person. We expect that we will receive help when we need it, or we expect others to think highly of us for our good deed. We easily discard relationships when our needs or expectations are not met.

God’s love for us is completely different. In Hosea 14:4 God says, “I will love them freely.” He has no expectation of a return for His love. We have nothing to offer Him. And we have done nothing to earn His love, nor is there anything we could do to make God love us. He freely loves us because He is love. His love is abundant, steadfast, and everlasting.

We choose whether to accept or reject God’s love. By accepting His love we receive salvation and eternal life. By rejecting His love we miss out on the abundant and eternal life. Whether we accept or reject God’s love, He will always love us.