Reluctant Retiree

There is wisdom in counting the costs before embarking on a project. We should make sure that we have the funds available, expertise needed, friendly assistance, and energy to complete the work. Failure to properly evaluate these factors and gather the resources will inevitably lead to frustration and embarrassment.

Many years ago, my wife and I bought a house. This house had an outdated and ugly kitchen. Who paints their kitchen cabinets peach color? My father in law offered to remodel the kitchen by building new cabinets. He gave me one condition, which was that I help him do all the woodworking. He was quite skilled and could easily do the work. I, on the other hand, had no woodworking knowledge or ability. As most do-it-yourself remodels go, this one seemed to go on forever. We worked on it most nights and weekends. I quickly ran out of steam, while also bruising many body parts. I had not accurately counted the costs of my involvement in the project. The project took longer because my father in law insisted that I do most of the work, in order that I learn some of the necessary skills.

At times God will call us to do some good work. We may doubt our ability, resources and knowledge to do what He asks. That’s alright because He has already counted the costs and gathered the necessary resources. II Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” If God leads us to do a good work, He will provide the resources, knowledge and power to do it in His abundant grace. He has counted the cost and provided what we need in His grace before even speaking to us. His grace will be sufficient, ready for anything, and always available.

One of my granddaughters is a very picky eater. The problem is that she has never tasted most of the foods that she rejects. She doesn’t know whether they taste good or bad to her. She cannot explain why she won’t eat these foods, but we can’t change her mind.

People do the same thing with God. They reject Him, but do they really know who He is? Have they even investigated what He has said about Himself? Have they considered the impact of their decision?

God describes Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.'” If you know God, as I do, you know Him to possess all these qualities in abundance. If you choose to reject God, be aware that you are rejecting the God of steadfast love for you, and who accepts you in His mercy and grace.

The expression, “that’s just perfect”, can be used with both positive and negative connotations. On the positive side, we use the expression to confirm that the gift, project completion, or act of kindness is pleasing to us. On the negative side, the expression is used to demonstrate displeasure or frustration with something we face.

In reality, very little, if anything, ever is indeed perfect. If you are like me, you can find flaws in almost anything. That, by the way, is not a good quality to have and one that I am seeking to eliminate from my character. Gratefulness is far more attractive than complaining. While perfection is nearly impossible to achieve, we should still strive for excellence.

The apostle Paul recognized this when he wrote: “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.” So while we may not be perfect, we should continue to progress toward being what Jesus wants us to be.

Paul goes on to write how we achieve this goal: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” We should forget our past failures and sins, along with our former way of life, and pursue righteousness in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we do these things, we will become less like our former selves and more like Jesus.

My car displays the speed limit on the console as I am driving. Today I noticed that it was not giving me this warning. Then I realized that snow was covering the speed limit signs as we passed them. The car’s detection system could not read the signs in order to display them for me.

Road signs give us valuable warnings about dangerous conditions and enable us to drive safely, if we obey the rules. Dangerous curve ahead signs warn us to slow down in order to stay on the road through the curve. Stop signs and stoplights tell us to stop and avoid collisions. Do not pass signs instruct us not to try to overcome those in front of us.

In the same way, God’s Word, the Bible, gives us warnings and instructions for staying on the path of righteousness and avoiding trouble ahead. Psalm 119:105 puts it this way; “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The only way to walk uprightly before God is to allow the light of His Word to illuminate our eyes with truth. Other so called sources of truth will take us into dangerous situations and cause us to stumble.

This morning I faced a decision. Should I do my usual long morning walk or should I take a day off? We planned to participate in a workday at a home for women recovering from addictions. I knew that if I walked, I would not have the necessary energy to fully dedicate myself to the work projects. I love to walk, so it was hard to give it up, even for a day. But I chose not to walk.

My choice was a small sacrifice in order to do some good for others. I think that we are faced with dozens of these types of decisions each day. Should I do this, which I really want to do and which benefits me? Or should I do that, which really helps someone else?

I Timothy 6:18-19 gives us some guidelines for making the right decisions, when it says, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” The overall guideline is to do good things for people. Be generous in good works and always ready to share in these works. By doing so, you are building a strong foundation for your life. And, in fact, are experiencing the true joy of life.