Reluctant Retiree

In the last three years I have been involved in some disaster recovery efforts. With a team from an organization called Eight Days of Hope, I have helped people recover from hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. The process requires that we first remove the damaged parts of a house. If this is not done then any repairs would just cover up dangerous structural issues, like mold. Then the rebuild can take place. Often rebuilds turn out better than the original.

God does the same thing with us. Psalm 23:3 says, “He restores my soul.” When God restores us, He makes us better than the original us. But first He needs to remove the parts of us that have been damaged by pain, hurts, troubles and sin. God did all of this through the sacrifice of His Son. All of our pains, suffering and sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus. In their place God put righteousness, healing and deliverance.

When we trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, God makes us brand new. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Let God restore your soul. Let Him make you brand new and better than the original.

When I was growing up I fully trusted my teachers. I think I believed every word they said. I didn’t question their motives or believe that they were pushing some personal agenda onto me. I thought that their goals were to simply explain the truth.

Unfortunately we all seen some teachers fail in these responsibilities lately. Many times teachers are taking advantage of their authority and the innocence of children today. They not only push personal agendas and beliefs, but also their political, social and moral views. School boards have capitulated in many cases.

Now, of course, these types of teachers are a small minority, but their impact upon children has been great. Fortunately there is some place we can go to get pure knowledge. This knowledge is undefiled by personal biases and motivations. Psalm 19:7-9 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.”

God’s Word is perfect, sure, right, pure and clean. His Word revives, makes wise, causes rejoicing, enlightens and endures forever. That is the kind of knowledge that brings good to all of us.

When I was a kid I didn’t get into many fights. As an adult I have never been in a real fight. While I have been around people who have gotten really angry, none of them have resorted to violence yet.

I have been in situations that exposed me to dangerous violence. When we lived in Nepal, an insurrection was in process and violent demonstrations occurred without notice all around the city. On occasion I inadvertently traveled to these areas and barely avoided the violence.

We all can face unexpected opposition and violence at times, especially in our world today. It amazes me how quickly we can make enemies or become an enemy to someone else. Today, if someone doesn’t agree with you, they can choose from a variety of means to attack you. Social media and traditional media sources are a couple of the truly dangerous weapons used in these attacks. Isn’t it strange that people on all political spectrums say that they are defenders of democracy while viciously attacking their opponents?

It is difficult to know how to respond when we are attacked in these ways. I find comfort in going to God in these situations. Jesus understands because He suffered brutally in the most outrageous attack possible. Psalm 18:1-3 gives us great promises regarding the protection that God provides His people; “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”God protects His children from their enemies. All we have to do is call upon Him.

Verses 6-8 of the same Psalm describe how God can deal with our enemies; “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.” I sure do not want to be an enemy of God and face that kind of defense. It is always best to stay friends with God and His people.

If we are fortunate, we would have an abundance of good counselors during our lifetime. They would provide us with timely and wise advice when we struggled and faced difficulties. Parents, teachers, elders and wise associates could all step in with knowledge and wisdom.

However, if you are like me, you haven’t had these people in your life for the most part. My father was an alcoholic and my mother worked hard to support the family. So my sister and I were what used to be called “latchkey kids”. We were home alone a lot. Even when my parents were home, they were unavailable, at least emotionally. I don’t remember getting much advice from them. I did get some good counsel from teachers occasionally. But I never made the kind of friends that could render helpful advice, even into adulthood.

Don’t get me wrong! I am not complaining, but rather stating the facts of my life. I have received great counsel from two sources. Since I became a Christian, I have been blessed with godly leadership in the church and as friends. They have helped show me the way in godliness and love. Secondly, the Word of God leads me to truth and wisdom for living. I have found that as long as I follow its teaching, my life is blessed beyond my expectations. Psalm 16:7-8 says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”

Trusting the Lord for wisdom is a smart move. He created and sustains all things. He knows the future, so He can wisely advise you today.

You may find this hard to believe, but often people do not agree with me. Most of the time it is just a small difference of opinion. I often find that I just don’t understand their point of view, nor can I adequately explain my opinion. Other times I find myself the target of harsh words due to a disagreement.

What action should I take when I am unjustly, at least in my mind, treated due to my opinions? I Peter 3:8-9 gives me direction when it says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

So rather than escalating the disagreement by returning harsh words for harsh words, God calls me to bless the one who disagrees with me. Furthermore, He expects me to do this out of a tender heart, brotherly love, and a humble mind. Since He has instructed me to respond in this way, I can trust Him to give me the strength and grace necessary. That is just part of the blessing that these verses promise.