Reluctant Retiree

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” When am I supposed to be happy? Always! You mean even in the face of a pandemic and widespread protests and violence? Yes!

How?

The verse says to be happy in the Lord. So first you must have a relationship with the Lord. This means that you trust Him to be in control and powerful enough to make all things work together for your good (Romans 8:28).

You see Joy is a choice that leads to feelings, not the other way around. So even in hard circumstances we can choose to be joyful because God has got your back.

To those outside of Christ this may sound overly optimistic. To us who believe in Jesus, however, this is truth based upon His Word and how he has proven himself to us over and over. So to the sceptic I say that you will never know the Lord’s goodness until you believe.

Not long after we meet someone we ask, “So what do you do?” It is usually an innocent question with very little social risk. But it also implies that this is an important question to get to know someone. We are suggesting that we are what we do.

However, we are so much more than just what we do. I am not just a manager, I am also a husband, father, grandfather, compassionate soul, lover of people, and a believer in Jesus. In fact these other aspects of me are far more important than what I do.

I am reading a book right now that distinguishes between our faith calling and our vocational calling. Our vocational calling is what we do, so we say things like I am a nurse or a clerk. More or less we feel called to these jobs whether by circumstance or genuine interest.

Our faith calling is why we do something. We say things like I am a nurse because I want to help people. So we try to be the best nurse we can, so that we can help as much as we can. Our faith calling drives us to be who we are.

My faith calling is derived from what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments; to love God with all your heart, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Since this is my faith calling, everything I do should reflect this calling, whether it be in my vocational calling or interrelationally. I wish I could say that I always succeed in that, but honestly I fail often. I can say, however, that these two commands are the heart of what I want to do and be.

Our country has always had a variety of viewpoints and opinions. But in the last several years we have heard vitriolic voices and experienced violence in these disparate viewpoints.

No one seems to want to hear an opinion differing from their own. We all think we know what’s best, but now we are ready to fight to make everyone else agree with us. Name-calling and accusations fly from all corners. And that is just the verbal assault taking place. Often the words are backed up by violence.

Something has to give or we will not only destroy the opposition, but also ourselves. I think James said it best in the Bible, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” James 1:19 ESV

Let’s begin to reverse this divisive trend by respecting each other. Show that respect by listening carefully to what the other person is saying and trying to understand. Let’s delay talking and anger in order to gain civility and honor and unity.

We, as Americans, have become a weak people, lacking endurance. It is noticeable every time we run into trouble.

At the beginning of an international conflict, we are focused and determined to succeed. Within months, however, the complaining begins and we begin to find fault with the battle plan. Soldiers, who were widely celebrated at the onset, become targets of ridicule and abuse.

We are doing it again with the COVID 19 pandemic. At the beginning people willingly hunkered down, not just to keep from getting the disease, but also for the welfare of the community. As restrictions eased, however, our determination to defeat the pandemic has faltered. People are not taking the recommended precautions seriously and confirmed cases of the disease are inreasing rapidly. Concern for ourselves and others has gone out the window. Americans just don’t have the resolve to do the right thing over time.

God, on the other hand, values endurance. He sees the positive end result of endurance, especially endurance in doing good. James 1:2-4 says, “Count 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 affect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

The title phrase refers to a situation where you struggle to do something to no avail. It generally refers to trying to do something that you shouldn’t do. The apostle Paul was found to be kicking against the goad when he was persecuting Christians before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus asked Paul why he was persecuting His people. Paul could only ask, “Who are you Lord?” After he found out the truth and that he had been so wrong, Paul’s life completely changed. In fact, even his named changed from Saul to Paul at this time.

I think we do this all the time. We have something we want to do. We struggle and struggle, wondering why we can’t get it done. Perhaps we should take a step back and see if God has something else in mind. Maybe he has a better way of doing the same thing, or maybe he wants us to do something entirely different, like Paul.

For instance, our church , like many others, has not gathered together for services on Sunday for over three months. Instead, services have been online. This in and of itself is already on adaptation. We were supposed to come together for the first time this Sunday. However, the county government issued new restrictions and the regathering of the church was delayed. That’s probably a good decision.

But this has me thinking that we may be kicking against the goad in trying to restart doing the same things we always did. Could God be saying, “I want you to do things differently”? Maybe more services, each with fewer people. Maybe use satellite campuses to spread people out. Maybe house churches. I don’t pretend to know the answer, but I do believe that we need to consider new ways of doing church.

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:1-3 ESV

As I look at our country today, I see the appalling lack of good leadership. Oh there are many who can gather a following, but few who lead that following uprightly. Most are driven by their own agendas and desires. What happened to serving the people?

I think it is a matter of training in righteousness. If our leaders have not been trained to think rightly, how can we expect them to act rightly. That’s what causes all the confusion and fighting. Each one is doing what is right in their own eyes, and that usually is some self-serving agenda, which naturally conflicts with someone else’s desires.

How can we straighten the path and end the self-serving leadership of today? I say we go back to the instruction manual, the Word of God. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

I walk over 12 miles per day. I don’t say that to boast, as it is really not my idea. I came upon this routine quite unexpectedly.

I had surgery to remove a brain tumor last March. Two weeks later I was back in the hospital with a blood clot. The clot was related to the surgery and inactivity afterwards.

It was recommended that I try some moderate exercise to limit the potential of another clot. Since I had been in the hospital for many days, getting outside for walks seemed like a good idea. At the time I walked a short distance several times a day.

As the weeks and months passed, the distances got longer and I barely noticed. I did notice, however, that I was feeling better and was losing weight. As a side benefit, my blood sugar was declining.

So the time I spent walking and the distance I walked kept increasing to the 12 miles I mentioned earlier. My doctors and I are all happy.

This got me thinking about other areas of my life. Could I start with small improvements that could help me make big improvements in the future? So I have started to read books again, keeping my mind sharp and engaged. I’ve made adjustments in my diet, adding additional health benefits. I’ve also been prompted to think about God more during the day and give him thanks before going to bed at night. This has worked wonders for my attitude. And my wife is grateful for the few additional things I am doing around the house.

Brain surgery has inspired me to become a better man. And it all started with a few small steps, both literally and figuratively.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5 ESV

My wife and I consider time with our grandchildren to be one of our most important investments in retirement. We intentionally moved to the midwest to be close to five of our six grandkids. Unfortunately one granddaughter lives in California.

We want to have fun with them, sure, but we want to invest in their lives also. So we go to their games, concerts, and school programs to let them know that they are loved and supported. I have sports days with the boys where we try to play as many sports as we can in one day, including the sport of pigging out at a local restaurant. My wife has garden and craft days with the girls, including an online craft camp with the girl in California.

I have been sending daily encouraging text messages to the two oldest grandsons. We have deep conversations with each child to understand them more and offer some sage advice.

All of this takes a lot of time, but we enjoy the immediate joy and the potential for long-term positive impact on their lives. It is fun to watch your grandson run for a long touchdown or dominate a robotics competition. It is also a joy to watch your granddaughter sing her heart out at a school play.

These investments are worth the effort as we watch them grow up to be fine men and women.

Proverbs 5:1-2 says, “My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.”

FoxNews used to use the tag line “The No Spin Network”, implying that they gave the news without bias. We know, now more than ever, that this claim is impossible to perform. It seems that all news reporting comes tainted with the agenda and biases of the reporter and his or hers news company.

Headlines are written and spoken to garner attention. This is often done by misleading the listener or reader. I have been disappointed after reading a news story based upon the title, only to find that the story was about something else entirely.

So now it is incumbant upon us to understand the reporter’s leanings before we believe the report. Most of us are not so concerned with the truth anyway. We are just looking for information to support our own opinions, so we go to sources that have the same biases as we do.

This being the case, how do we ever cross the cultural divide to be able to understand people of different origins, ethnic, or religious backgrounds? Are we doomed to interminable misunderstandings and mistrust? Is there some way to break down walls between us?

The Bible says there is a way we can understand each other and begin to trust each other. Ephesians 2:14 says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”. We can trust Jesus to bring us peace with each other. He has broken down all dividing walls between us. He takes away the hostility. In him we are loved and exalted into one body.

Our attitudes are reflections of our character, values and beliefs.

Our attitudes also predetermine how we will react to circumstances. If we are angry or complaining we will not be able to react positively to the next thing that happens. However, if we are at peace with a measure of joy, the next circumstance will not be able to shake us.

So how can we have a positive attitude? Philippians 4:6-7 says, ” 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 minds in Christ Jesus.”

So God promises peace to those who first pray with thanksgiving. Give up complaining, which does no good, by the way. Instead ask God to help you have a good attitude. Then you will have peace.