Reluctant Retiree

We were able to see three of our six grandchildren within a few days of their births. What joy and exhilaration filled our hearts at those special times! We did not have the same privilege with the other three, although we did meet them rather quickly also. In order to participate in these glorious times, we had to make preparations. Schedules were cleared, travel arrangements were secured, and ongoing responsibilities were picked up by friends and co-workers. For one birth I was in Asia but was able to change flights to meet the new grandchild.

Most good things require some preparation in order to experience the fullness of joy. This is also true for beholding God’s wonders. Joshua 3:5 says, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

How do we prepare ourselves to see God’s wondrous works? Our hearts must be purified and our eyes must be opened to see Him. We must find our treasure in knowing God. Matthew 6:21-23 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” If our hearts treasure the presence of God within us, then we are in the light and can see God’s wonders. If, however, we are not dwelling in this light, we are in darkness and cannot see God moving.

What does your heart treasure? Is God foremost in your life and desires? Or are you walking in darkness because His light is not in you? Come to the light today!

While trekking in Nepal we frequently had to cross suspension bridges. I confess that I did not like walking across these bridges. Most were carefully constructed and structurally sound, at least by my nonscientific evaluation. That didn’t matter, I still didn’t want to walk on them.

I remember one bridge, in particular. It was made of rope and wood planks. The sides of it had fallen down, so we basically walked on a shaky, bouncing, unstable set of planks, with nothing to hang onto, across a raging river.

One time, I just sat down and refused to cross one of these bridges because of a strong crosswind that was making the bridge sway. Unfortunately, there was no other way for us to go. Even if we returned the direction from which we had traveled, we would have to come to this bridge to cross eventually. Obviously I was eventually able to cross both of those bridges.

Sometimes to make progress we must take risks. The risks appear formidable and probably scare us. We have to summon power and courage to move forward in these situations.

In the Bible Joshua faced just this type of situation. He was about to take the Israelites into battle to possess the land God had promised to give them. It was an awesome task for this newly installed commander. God spoke to Joshua and said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua could be strong and courageous, not because he was a great warrior and military strategist. He could be strong and courageous because God promised to be with him. God would protect the Israelites and lead them to victory. We can be strong and courageous because God is with us to protect us and will fight for us. He is mightier than anything that may come against us.

I have spent a good portion of my life trying to get by on my own smarts, strength, and charm. Sometimes these things worked to my advantage, at least temporarily. But to be honest, I really don’t have much in the way of smarts, strength, or charm. So the things that I thought would help me succeed, more often than not, held me back from reaching my potential or my goals.

Our culture admires the strong, wise and charming people of the world. We place high values on these traits. Unfortunately, not many of us are blessed with these characteristics. Our efforts to achieve these qualities fall far short of our expectations. Therefore, we don’t experience the heights of acclaim and popularity.

Fortunately, God doesn’t judge by the world’s standards. I Corinthians 1:26-31 says, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'”

So let’s give up trying to earn praise from the world. Instead, let’s trust in the Lord’s wisdom, strength and beauty. In return, we will receive His righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Though undeserved, those are the things that we can boast in by His grace.

As we were driving yesterday, we passed through a brief rain shower. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but also quickly ended.

I see my life in terms of a series of unexpected, but relatively brief, showers. I have had showers of blessings, troubles, joy, and sadness among others.

Showers of blessings have overwhelmed me at times. Blessings of marriage, children, grandchildren, hope out of darkness, love of friends, generous help from unexpected sources, recovery from health issues, good jobs, sufficient income, protection in dangerous situations, and wisdom from above. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

Showers of troubles have occasionally struck my life. Troubles including job loss, significant health issues, relationship challenges, misunderstandings, accusations, depression, family concerns, car troubles, persecutions, and lies have entered my life. In John 14:1 Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” The troubles lasted only a season, and in every case, God led me out of them by His grace.

Showers of joy have frequented our lives. I smile when I remember my wedding day, the births of our three children and six grandchildren, the weddings of our children, the day we left for the mission field, playing vintage base ball at the Field of Dreams, welcoming new believers into the family of God, mentoring young men, and publishing books. Philippians 1:3 says, “I thank my God in all remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.”

Showers of sadness sometimes seemed to take the light from our souls. Sadness in the wake of the death of dear ones, tragic news from loved ones, pain or loss suffered, disasters striking the unfortunate, and illness among friends can take their toll from our hearts. James 1:2-4 encourages me when it says, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Showers of all types may come and go. We will be more ready to handle the showers if our trust is placed in God and not our own strength. He knows us, loves us, and already sees the light on the other side of the storm. He will give us grace to find our way to His presence in and out of the showers.

I remember playing Hide and Seek when I was young. As I recall, I was pretty good at it. I think it was because I was patient and didn’t feel the need to expose my whereabouts quickly. There were some good places to hide in my neighborhood.

Sometimes we think that we can play hide and seek with God. We tell ourselves that we can do something because God won’t see. We think that He is not watching us at certain moments, so we do something that we know we shouldn’t.

However the Bible tells us that God neither sleeps nor slumbers, and He is always watching. Psalm 139:7-12 says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as day, for darkness is as light with you.”

We cannot hide from God. That is a good thing! Because He is watching, we enjoy His protection, provision, and tender care. Let’s not hold the thought that we can hide our works from Him, but rather enjoy the light of His presence.