Reluctant Retiree

Little children have it right. They understand love by what their parents do for them. Then they show love by little acts of kindness for others. Our refrigerator is covered by art projects that our grandchildren have made for us. Their faces light up when they show us what they have made. Children also show their love by participating with us in whatever we are doing. They love to help bake our favorite cookies or fix the bathroom sink.

I John 3:18 says, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” No one really ever outgrows knowing love through actions. True love is demonstrated by the kindnesses we show to others. Show a little love today through some by giving some unexpected kindness to somebody.

Jesus, Himself, proved this truth. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God took action to prove His love for us. He gave up His only Son as a sacrifice that we might be saved. No greater love exists. We receive His love by accepting God’s grace and mercy. God’s love is available today, if you will only just receive it.

I have never considered myself to be a brave person. Oh, I have done some brave things. I have hiked along a riverside in the Himalayan mountains, crossing through rivers and over landslides. For me, that 3 day trek required some courage. I have also stood in front of hundreds of people and given lengthy speeches. Again, for me that took a good amount of bravery.

I have heard it said that a hero is not one who has no fear, but one who overcomes his fears to do what is necessary. Fears serve a good purpose in keeping us from doing foolish things by properly assessing risks. But when fears begin to overwhelm and decapacitate us, we face the real danger of surrender.

Psalm 108:13 says, “With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” With God we can bravely face our fears, because He can overcome any foe that may come against us. He surely has the power. And because He loves us, He will ultimately not allow us to be defeated. The victory belongs to the Lord.

We all want to do something that brings us a sense of fulfillment. Those types of things are not easy to find. Sometimes we just accept a job just to be able to pay the bills. The job may not bring us fulfillment but will accomplish the goal of helping to pay our bills. But even outside of employment, we try to find things that will give us joy. We engage in hobbies, entertainment, or service projects to find some sort of satisfaction.

I think that we have it backwards. Rather than seeking some activity to bring fulfillment, we should first know what our purpose is. Then we can engage in activities and jobs to gain fulfillment. So how do we find our purpose? We have to go to the source. God designed each of us with a specific purpose. Therefore we need to seek our answers from Him. He may not immediately give us a plan for our whole life, but He will reveal what our next steps should be. It is only by following His leading that we will fulfill our purpose and find ultimate fulfillment.

In John 17:4 Jesus says to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do.” By completing the work that we are given, we honor those who gave us the work. So by diligently doing all that God tells us to do, we honor Him while fulfilling our purpose.

Who is the smartest person you know? Whose counsel do you trust? Is it a family member? Could it be a teacher or school counselor? Perhaps you trust the wisdom of a statesman, politician, government official, or popular celebrity.

If your answer falls in any of these categories or is even any human, you will be frustrated and become disillusioned at some point. These leaders will fail you and their counsel will eventually lead you astray.

Psalm 33:12-19 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”

The wisdom of men and women is limited, so their ability to give effective counsel is limited. God sits on His throne, having authority and control over all things. Only His wisdom can guide us into truth and can rescue us. The wealth and power of people cannot save us. We must trust in God and His steadfast love for salvation and hope.

It is pretty easy to find recordings and videos of people responding to some perceived injustice with loud voices of displeasure, often including outrageous threats. These people are out of control and extremely overreacting. They feel that they have been wronged and they want the situation rectified immediately and to their satisfaction. Somehow they believe that loud voices and threats are the way to accomplish their goals.

The Bible says that “a soft answer turns away wrath.” A soft answer is sometimes hard to give when we feel wronged in some way. But we have more instruction than this command to help us. Jesus said, “I am gentle and lowly.” He is our example. When wrongly accused and eventually murdered on the cross, Jesus’ response was, “Father, forgive them!” When we reject God and go our own way, God is always ready to give us mercy.

It is interesting that we all want people to respond to our failures with patience and kindness, but we are so quickly angered by the faults of others. Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” The next time you are wronged by someone, try waiting to respond. While you are waiting think about Jesus’ example of mercy and kindness toward you. And ask Him to help you respond with the same gentleness and humility.