Reluctant Retiree

“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.

Exodus 22:27 says, “And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” In this verse, God declares that He hears the cries of the poor and weak.

In my despair I know that you hear my cries
In my futility I know you understand my weakness
In my confusion I know that you have the answer
In my pain you bring healing
In my sadness you give hope and joy
Out of my failure you bear fruit

God understands our weaknesses and hurts. He wants us to cry out to Him. He will answer our cries.

Today, a passionate shout for liberty can be heard across our country and in many parts of the world. People have felt confined within mandates, lockdowns and other restrictions for too long. Rightly or wrongly, they are raising their voices for the rollback of restrictions.

But do laws necessarily restrict our liberties? Sometimes, yes they do. But other times they grant us liberty by giving us the freedom to do good. Laws may take away some freedom, but bondage often is concealed in the heart. We can become enslaved to habits and consuming thoughts. Fears and worries keep us from peace and the freedom to do what we long to do.

James 1:25 says, “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” God’s Word is given to us to protect us from doing wrong things and give us liberty to do right things. His Word frees us from the internal battle and shows us the way to freedom from fears, worries, anger, lust, selfishness, and greed. By His Word and His Spirit we can live in love, hope and faith.

Experience the liberty that you really long for, the inner freedom to know God and His righteousness. Turn from your inner bandage and allow Him to break those chains. True liberty awaits!