Reluctant Retiree

As I watch sports, my observation is that the teams that are consistently successful are the teams that have high levels of teamwork. The players on these teams have bought into their roles and seek to handle their responsibilities as effectively as they can. They don’t try to do too much and communicate well with their teammates. They sublimate their personal goals to team objectives.

Successful businesses and other organizations work the same way. While people have personal needs for income and security met by their jobs, good employees understand that when they contribute to the company’s success, they contribute to their own success, as well.

God expects an even higher level of teamwork within his church, among believers. In fact Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) This new commandment requires a higher standard of love for Jesus’ disciples. The new standard for our love is the way Jesus loves us; abundantly, steadfastly, sacrificially, selflessly, and eternally.

Have you noticed that our desires often stay hidden, until they go unfulfilled? Then they come to the surface in anger, worry and frustration.

For instance we may have a desire for prestige. But when we do not get noticed we may lash out with belittling others or exaggerating our accomplishments.

Or we may have a desire for control. When something happens contrary to our desire we become angry at the offender.

We may also have a desire for comfort. When circumstances draw us out of our comfort zone we can begin to be anxious, fearful, and worried.

Desires can lead us away from where we really want to go. Instead of prestige we find slander. Instead of control we find anger. And instead of comfort we suffer worry. What can we do to subjigate these desires and go where we really want to go? Philippians 4:5-7 says, “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.”

Several years ago I told a workmate that you know you are getting old when every time you get up something new hurts. In the past year and a half I have had brain surgery, a hospital stay for a blood clot, sinus surgery that was caused by the brain surgery, ear surgery, and heart ablation.

All this confirms not only my age, but also the fraility of the human body. It is simply not built to last an eternity. The good news is that God does promise to give those who believe in him an imperishable body. 2 Corinthians 5:4-5 says, “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” After the last year, I am certainly looking forward to my imperishable eternal body.

Today, I drove through at a fast food restaurant and ordered a diet coke. After I drove away, I took a sip and discovered I had been given root beer. I was disappointed as I had my heart set on the diet coke.

In the grand scheme of things, this was a minor disappointment and I quickly got over it. Unfortunately life deals us much greater disappointments. Betrayals, lost opportunities, personal tragedies and broken relationships are some of the biggest disappointments we face.

We all need someone or something we can count on. This needs to be an unchangeable rock we can trust. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Trust in God. He will not disappoint!

Have you ever experienced or felt something so intense that you could not adequately tell another person about it? We try though, don’t we? We grab the first person we see and say something like, “I gotta tell you what happened!” The words come out, but even as we are saying them, we realize that these words are inadequate and do not really describe how we felt. It’s odd that words can fail us at a time like that.

Words fail me when I try to talk about God’s love for me. I cannot properly describe how I feel about God’s abundant, steadfast and eternal love given freely to me. I did nothing to deserve it and can do nothing to earn it. It is completely his grace that brings me to this love. Psalm 36:5 says, “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.” His love is greater than anything you can see or imagine.

I lost my wallet today. Therefore I had to contact credit card companies, banks, and government offices to report the lost cards. Some of these contacts went easy and some not quite so smooth. One credit card company had an automated phone response system. So I faced a long series of menu choices that seemed to repeat themselves endlessly. On the other hand, another company let me do the same thing online with just a click of a button. Oddly, replacing my driver’s license was just as easy.

Isn’t it funny how we make communication so hard sometimes. We worry about personal reactions to the things we say and often stumble over words. We say one thing and the listener hears another.

Our communication with God is not so complicated. He has made it easy. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a pure heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Jesus provides the way to talk to a holy God.

Remember the days of paper maps and the Thompson’s Street Guide. You would pull out the street guide to determine how to get to a house or business you’d never gone to before. You would go to AAA to get state maps whenever you were taking a longer trip. My wife loved those things and watched them meticulously while we were driving. We had dozens of them in the car.

Nowadays, we have Google Maps or a Map program built right into the car. You don’t even have to watch the map, a voice tells you when to turn and how far until the next turn.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a Google Decision program? We could put in the parameters of a decision we are facing. The program would then take us step-by-step through the twists and turns of making the best decisions. And we would arrive at the destination we desired healthy and wise.

Unfortunately there is no Google Decision program available to us, yet. But God does promise to provide us wisdom if we ask (James 1:5). He knows the best way for us to go and will instruct us in that way. In Psalm 32:8 God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I wll cousel you with my eye upon you.” Go to God and listen for his voice. It is much better than Google Decision.

Occassionally we get to see or hear of goodness. A police officer pulled a man to safety after the man had driven into a lake. A child raises money to provide food or school supplies for less fortunate children. A woman visits elderly patients just to give them a friendly smile and a listening ear.

All these real acts of kindness not only bless the participants, but also encourage us. Kindness and goodness may be in short supply, but their effects multiply in benefits.

It has been said that God is good all the time. It is true that his purposes and plans are always for our good. Psalm 31:19 says, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!” God has a huge storehouse of goodness available to those who love him and serve his children.

Some parts of Louisiana were hit by three hurricanes this year. Just when they had cleaned up after one diaster, another came in. Having participated on several disaster recovery teams one thing is abundantly clear. The survivors are always more concerned about family and friends than they are about the damage to their homes. Sure, they grieve the loss of valuables and memories. But they are thankful that their family is healthy and are still together.

Currently, a credit card company advertises with the slogan, “what’s in your wallet?” A bigger question is, “what’s in your house?” If a disaster struck, what would you most want to protect? Would it be the possessions that you have acquired over the years? Would it be the items with special memories attached? Or would it be the people who make a house a home? My guess is that it would be the people. They represent your true affections and their loss would cause you to suffer the most.

King David wrote about a different house and what he cared about the most. Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” What mattered most to David, and should matter most to us, is staying close to God, dwelling in his presence.

I used to think that it would be easy to be an official in football. My feeling was that you could make any call and people would not be able to tell if you were correct. After all the action is quick and so many things are happening. Ah but now there is slow motion replay from a myriad of angles. Commentators and so called experts can see exactly what occurs on the field. Incorrect calls are challenged and overturned. I no longer see football officiating as easy or desirable, for that matter.

The Bible often describes God as light. In Genesis, he created light. He is said to be unapproacable light. His Word is light to our feet. Those who trust him are lights in this world.

When we sin, we often think that no one will know. We think that our deeds will not be exposed. But the darkness of our sin is known by God. We cannot hide it from him. He brings all things into the light. Job 12:22 says, “He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.” We must walk in the light, just as he is light.