Reluctant Retiree

As I get older, I look forward more to rest at the end of the day. It is funny how sleep is important for us at the beginning of life and near the end. Babies need their sleep as they are growing and learning at an incredible pace. Seniors need our sleep to replenish our energy and prepare us for the next day. Sleep is also important for those between infancy and senior status, but these people seem to largely ignore the needs or fight through the lack of sleep.

Normally I sleep well, although I need a CPAP machine to do so. Many things can keep us from a good night’s rest, but the biggest sleep enemy is anxiety. When we are anxious we can’t seem to turn off the thoughts that cause us to have anxiety. We just keep replaying them over and over in our minds. Of course, worrying and the lack of sleep do not help us relieve the source of stress, nor even feel better about our circumstances.

Paul gives us the antidote for an anxious heart in Philippians 4:5-7; “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The antidote to anxiety is prayer. If we turn the sources of our anxiety over to God, He promises to replace those stresses with His peace. We won’t fully understand how He does it, but in the process He will guard our hearts and minds from anxiety.

As I have said before, I go on long walks each morning. Walking very early, while it is still dark, has its challenges. I don’t see every crack and obstacle, so sometimes I trip and fall. Other times I see the danger and proceed anyway, causing pain to myself. Walking early also causes me to miss some of the beauty that surrounds me.

As we go through life we can choose to walk in darkness or in light. Light helps us see the path clearly and avoid trouble. Darkness takes the joy and beauty out of the journey. I John 1:5-7 explains how we walk in the light when it says, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Walking in the Light is simply a matter of walking with God. We can do that because the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin, so we can be in the light with Him.

We continue to walk in the light through love for God and for others. I Thessalonians 3:12-13 says, “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all the saints.” Increasing love for God and others will lead us to walking blamelessly in the light with the Lord.

Today I went to an event where hundreds of people were honored, along with their families. There were gifts, bounce houses, games, fishing, rides, lots of food, and a general environment of fun and relaxation. Did these people deserve to be honored? Most definitely! But could they have expected to be honored in this way and by the selfless love of hundreds of volunteers. Could they expect the generosity of hundreds of people giving time and money? Probably not!

The Bible calls this sort of thing grace. Grace is favor that cannot be earned and should not be expected. Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son, who took his inheritance, from a father who was still living, and squandered it in a foreign land. He was destitute and returned to his father. The father did not scold or shame the son, but rather welcomed him home and threw a big celebration in the son’s honor. The son could not have expected to be honored in this way.

God, and all of heaven, celebrates when we come to the Heavenly Father. Should we expect such honor? Heavens no! We have not done anything to deserve such love. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God waits eagerly for us to come to Him. When we do, He will give us the biggest embrace and throw the grandest celebration. What are you waiting for? Let’s celebrate!

When I went outside this morning for my morning walk the ground was wet, but it wasn’t raining at the time. Of greater concern was the flashes of lightning. I will walk in the rain, but not if lightning is nearby. I decided to walk anyway this morning as the lightning did not seem to be close. I was able to walk 6 miles without a drop of rain or nearby lightning.

One benefit that lightning does provide is that it brings a strong light, not only in the sky, but everywhere. Light has the ability to completely remove darkness. Light and darkness cannot coexist in the same place.

The Bible says that God is light and we are called to walk in His light. Walking in the dark is dangerous. You can trip on the smallest obstacle and fall. God doesn’t want us to fall in life, so He offers to light our way. All we have to do is follow His light. In Isaiah 45:7 God says, “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.” Walking in the Light is good for our overall well-being. Follow the Light!

Twenty years ago I had neck surgery. This was my first major surgery and I was a bit anxious, to say the least. I didn’t know what to expect and fear crept into my thinking. The only way that I was able to get through this process was to cling to the hope that my pain would go away. After the successful surgery, the pain was gone and then I was able to relax and give God thanksgiving.

A few days after the surgery I went back to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. As we were entering his office a young family approached. As I held the door open for them, I noticed the two to three year old girl in the stroller. She had a neck brace on just like mine. She also had the cutest smile on her face. The family seemed relaxed and at peace. I thought about all this family, and especially the little girl, had gone through. Yet they didn’t seem overly concerned or worried about their circumstances. Then I realized that my circumstances were minimally problematic compared to theirs. I had much to be grateful for and it was finally true to me that my God had dealt favorably with me.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 gives us advice for the times of trouble that we will inevitably face; “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” When we encounter difficulties, we tend to focus on the problem. By doing that, we forget about the Problem Solver. Instead, we should remember to pray and ask God to oversee and work through our trouble. Then we will be able to thank Him for His work on our behalf. And finally, we will be able to rejoice in His sovereign power at work for us.