My father had three births of sorts- he was born to his parents in 1918; experienced spiritual rebirth when he trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior in 1968, and then in 1977, he rediscovered the joy of living in a new place, now free from the burden of chronic allergies that had crippled his activities for most of his life.
It was to Mesa, Arizona that he and my mother moved in 1977, and it was there that he finally hit his stride.
That thought resonated with me as I prepared for a funeral service this week; a friend and a church member who had spent what he thought were his best years battling life, enduring the hardships of our world's imperfections, and enjoying the blessings of family, friends, and a successful career in business. And then came retirement, which is where I believe this man finally found his stride. Now it was here that he was taking those creative elements of his personality and giftedness that had made him successful in business and applying them to the work of ministry.
Unfortunately, his experience and others I know, isn't the normal expression of retirement that I see so often.
You know what I mean, that "
well, I've paid the man for years, and its finally time for me to start living for me"
attitude that pervades much of the culture these days. It's that
entitlement
mindset that I believe was set in motion years ago with the creation of a "
retirement age"
and perpetuated by the work-world that came about in the sixties and seventies; a world which sees its primary goal as driving hard toward the hope of amassing a fortune that will allow them to forfeit the normal responsibilities associated with family, community, and church if only to live unto themselves.
Retire by thirty years of age
, I read, but then what? Now, don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting that we have to keep pounding that hammer, running that line, or spending weeks at a time on the road.
Change is good, risk is generally healthy, and our world is more open to opportunities than ever.
God has given us work as a blessing not a curse and in most cases our labor can be used for the glory of God.
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