Reluctant Retiree

Now that I am older, I get more easily overwhelmed with too much stimulus. In other words, when too much information is coming to me at once, I become anxious and confused. The stimuli can be requests from others, background noise, lights, things that I need to do, or media. The resultant anxiety makes me want to retreat and I have difficulty moving forward. This is a new, but progressing phenomenon for me, as I have not been a worrier in the past.

Fortunately I have a source of wisdom and hope in this area. God gives us a command and a promise in Philippians 4:6-7; “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.” So the command is to put off anxious feelings and to put on prayer and thanksgiving. Then God promises to give us peace and will guard our hearts and minds. That sounds like a good deal to me! When I feel myself getting anxious or overwhelmed, I will try to stop and pray.

Our two year old granddaughter has come to visit today. The first thing she wanted to do was to blow bubbles with grandma. So the two of them are on the patio blowing bubbles. She is sheer joy personified at the sight of bubbles rising from the holder.

The thing about bubbles is that they don’t last very long. They rise quickly and then fall to the ground and pop, if the little one doesn’t grasp them and pop them before they hit the ground.

Our dreams, plans, and aspirations can be the same way. We tend to have a lot of excitement when the dreams are first formed. But often reality sets in or obstacles come and our excitement fades along with our aspirations. We become frustrated and disappointed.

The Bible points us to a better way once again. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Instead of devising our own schemes and trying to make them work, it is wiser to submit our dreams and plans to God. He knows all the obstacles that can come and He has the power and authority to overcome these disturbances. He is fully capable of making our paths straight.

I am generally a glass half full kind of guy. I like to find possibilities rather than look for obstacles. I also tend to believe the best in people rather than find fault. I say all this while understanding that I can be as negative as the next person at times. There are times when I have difficulties with complaining.

The opposite of complaining is thankfulness. I need to cultivate a grateful heart. A positive outlook searches for the good in circumstances. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Knowing that all circumstances are the will of God for me and that God is good all the time helps change my heart attitude to one of thankfulness.

An abundance of success gurus have risen to fame over the past few years. They share messages and insights from their own journeys to the heights. They will teach you inspiring thoughts like, believe in yourself, establish goals, work hard, stay in the company of winners, be positive, and consider obstacles to be no more than challenges.

While their messages seem to be derived from personal experiences and tested methods, I believe that they miss the real underlying keys to real and lasting success.

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” You see, true success is found in the character of a person, not in the accumulation of wealth or titles. Good personal character proven over time satisfies the soul and brings the favor of God and men.

When I was growing up there was no such thing as distance learning or e-learning. It was impossible as personal computing devices had not been invented yet. However, if distance learning had been available, I am sure that I would have loved it. Distance learning is great for us introverts who love to work independently and quickly.

When our youngest son was in middle school, we decided to home school him. He was the perfect candidate for this, as he was self-motivated and loved to work independently. We would give him a week’s worth of assignments on Monday. By Wednesday he had completed all the assignments. Then he could work on other school projects or activities.

God has a home school program that is not distance learning. In fact God’s home school is very hands-on and personal. If you allow Him, He will be your personal instructor in life and all truth. The course objectives are listed, in part, in Proverbs 1:2-5; “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth-let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understand obtain guidance.”

How can we enroll in these classes? First we must have a right relationship with God based on faith in Jesus Christ. Then we must commit our ways unto Him. Finally we must devote ourselves to the teaching He provides. Proverbs 1:7 says it this way, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. ” Sign up today for God’s home school.

Normally I am a fairly confident fellow. I don’t think that I am smug or arrogant, although in some situations it may appear so. It is just that at age 71, I have pretty much figured out what I can and can’t do. I stay away from the things that I know I can’t do and gravitate toward the things I can. Often I am wrong about these assessments, however, and find that I can’t do what I thought that I could do.

One area that I am not at all confident in is interpersonal relationships. As an introvert I rarely know how to approach another person. This has gotten so bad that my wife makes and receives almost all phone calls in our household. Often I will just stay off to the side in gatherings. I will talk to people who approach me, but will rarely initiate a conversation.

Fortunately, God has given me a promise for approaching Him. Ephesians 3:11-12 says, “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” So because I have faith in Jesus, He says that I can come to Him in boldness and confidence. In fact, it has always been His purpose for me to have this type of access to Him. He has the same purpose for you. So won’t you come to Him in faith?

Sometimes I feel like I am held together by bailing wire and duct tape. As I have gotten older, doctors have ordered more and more equipment for me to use. First, it was glasses, which have been replaced over time with stronger and stronger prescriptions. Then came hearing aids, which also have been adjusted. After that I needed a CPAP machine. And finally, a heart monitor was implanted in my chest. I wonder what could be next.

All these devices require special handling and continual care. All that maintenance demands time and attention, time and attention that I could spend on more pleasant and productive experiences.

All these things makes me wonder how I function at all.The world around me also feels like it is falling apart, as I suspect that it feels the same for you as well. What exactly is keeping this world from imploding. Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ” From the context of these verses, it is understood that the “him” referred to here is Jesus. It is Jesus who created all things. And it is Jesus who holds all things together. We can trust Him to hold everything in the world together, because His power is great and His love for us is abundant. And we can trust Him to hold us together.

Who is the most important person who thinks about you often? I am talking about someone who knows you personally and would be inclined to think of you often. So that rules out political leaders. While they may think about their constituents, they probably don’t know your name. You may have a close relative who has an important position or some degree of fame, who thinks about you from time to time.

If you are like me, nobody of real importance thinks about me.I am not known in high society or distinguished circles. That is, except in heaven. You see, God knows my name. The Bible says that God has my name printed on the palm of his hand. My name is written in His book of life. Luke 10:20 says, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” If I am to be known anywhere, I am glad that it is in heaven.

Your name can be recorded in heaven also. You see, it is not on the basis of good works that our names are thus recorded. It is solely based on God’s sacrifice of His own Son and our act of obedient belief in Jesus. Won’t you give your life to Jesus today and receive the free gift of salvation?

My wife and I spent the last two days in Chicago. I love the city.  And, of course, I love the Cubs. I love the lakeside and the riverside. Chicago has its share of problems, but there is also a lot to enjoy.

Getting around Chicago can be difficult. We’ve been there several times, so we are somewhat familiar with its layout. Newcomers must rely on Maps and road signs, or the kindness of strangers. Once you get the hang of it, you can get around quite easily.

Don’t you wish that we could have road signs for life. It would be great have road sign pop up whenever we needed to make a life decision. Once we got the hang of it, gliding through life would be easy.

Unfortunately, those road signs do not exist in the world. However, God does want to show us the way we should live. He gave us His Word to lead us in paths of righteous living. For those who have accepted His salvation in Jesus, He has promised His Holy Spirit to direct our way. He gives us another promise in Psalm 143:8 when the Psalmist asks, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” If we ask, God will guide us in His steadfast love and mercy. Once we get the hang of it, we too will grow in steadfast love, mercy and righteous living.

Years ago there was a children’s book titled something along the lines of The Little Train Engine Who Could. That title is probably not correct, but the theme of the story was that the train engine overcame obstacles by believing that he could. He repeated the phrase “I think I can ” until he finally climbed the hill. In America, we often hear testimonials from the same idea. We are taught to believe that if you work hard enough you can do anything you wish. We are told that the American Dream is accomplished solely by hard work.

Those last two statements are not entirely true. For most people, hard work proves to be insufficient in accomplishing their goals. Unforeseen obstacles happen and strength wears out. As much as we want to succeed in our dreams, we often have to settle for less. That is not to say that hard work is not valuable. It most certainly is.

How can we be sure that good and righteous things happen? Romans 9:16 says, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. ” God in His mercy makes all good and righteous things happen. These good things may not be what we expect, but they will be what we need. They will be better than we could have dreamed and take us further than we could by our own strength.