Retirement, Two Years Hence: An Opportunity to Serve
It's Even Better Than I thought It Would Be
Ahh, Retirement. We all strive for it, but …
It’s never like you think it will be - with endless travel, new experiences, and leisurely hours of conversation with friends on the porch or over a good meal.
Yes, we have had the pleasure of experiencing those things regularly, but they have been sandwiched between serving the various needs of those around us.
Life crises don’t stop when we walk away from the 8-whenever. Year two (2024) was no exception and I suspect year three and beyond will be the same.
I am not disappointed. Far from it.
Galatians 6:10 exhorts,
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Our family, our fellow servants in the Lord, our friends, our neighbors, and sometimes even strangers all have needs that provide those opportunities.
Somehow we have been led to believe the misguided notion that the ministry consists only of pastors/ministers, and missionaries while the rest of us occupy pews like sponges that never get squeezed out - we just sit, soak, and sour.
That view of ministry is a false assumption. The primary purpose for those individuals is found in Ephesians 4:11-12:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
Their job is to counsel, prepare, and encourage us to participate in the “work of the ministry.”
(Just to be clear, the term “saint” refers to every believer (whether on earth or in heaven) - sanctified (saved) by the shed blood of Christ by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary on their behalf.)
Every Christian should be involved in ministry.
People all around us are scared & hurting, families are broken, loved ones are sick, and the grief of losing someone close is never easy, no matter how much time we have to prepare for it.
Retirement gives us more freedom of time and resources to come alongside and help. We cannot say we didn’t sign up for this.
There is no expiration date, on this side of the grave, for serving others.
We do want to do some traveling, so one aspect of retirement that my wife and I have contemplated is - How can we incorporate travel into our lives and schedules without compromising our financial and time commitment to ministry?
Although we have always served in local churches that support many Christian works throughout the world, we have also chosen a few missionaries to personally support. The logical solution is to combine personal travel with visiting these works to help with various projects they may have going on.
For a long time, I have been contemplating the relationship between the Christian life and money.
Many misinterpreted 1 Timothy 6:10 to mean that money, itself, is evil. What it actually says is that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil, implying an elevation of money to the status of worship.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
When was the last time you successfully lived without at least some money? We all know the answer to that.
Money is necessary to live our lives in a meaningful way. Money is the vehicle God has chosen for humans to acquire the necessary things in life and to serve the needs of others.
I love this quote by Zig Ziglar -
“Money is not everything but it ranks right up there with oxygen.”
Just as with oxygen, we cannot live long without money. Food, shelter, clothing, and a myriad of other things all require money. The issue arises when, unlike Oxygen, we misuse, misappropriate, or hoard money for self-serving purposes.
Another piece I have been working on (hopefully it will be ready soon) is on the subject of Stewardship, with the title -
Noble Stewardship: Measuring Success By A Different Standard
Is it wrong for a Christian to strive to be financially successful? I don’t believe it is, as long as we understand the purpose is to be good stewards of what we have been entrusted with. The post on Noble Stewardship will get into this in much more detail.
The main point of today’s post is to affirm our commitment to responsible retirement. Being involved in serving others is our highest calling. This does not subject us to a pauper’s life, void of enjoyment and meaning. Far from it.
When you think about it, it is impossible to serve others financially, materially, or even emotionally and spiritually if we are barely surviving ourselves. A life of “doing good unto all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith” involves being good stewards - responsible with our income, our possessions, and our savings/investments.
Jesus himself exhorts us to be good stewards by multiplying what he has given us, so that we may use it for his purposes. And he more than meets our own needs as we do so. (Ref. Matthew 25:14-29)
So, retirement, for us anyway, is about expanding opportunities to live and serve in meaningful ways. It is about “doing well so that we may do good” in both our pre-retirement and post-retirement years.
As the calendar flips into year three of retirement, I am also beginning my third year on Substack. The goal, particularly in publishing here on Life UnCorked, is to write more on stewardship and the place of “good works” in the Christian life.
Over on The Talking Pen, I will also continue publishing creative works in the form of both fiction and non-fiction stories, poems, etc. to promote a virtuous and moral lifestyle, to illustrate God’s power to change lives, and to encourage others to get involved in the higher calling of serving others.
Finally, to think that after decades of “wanting to be a writer”, I have now made it a dream come true. January 6th will begin my third year on Substack. In the short and fast-paced two years that have passed, I have written hundreds of pieces and now have close to 450 subscribers on Life UnCorked, 240 on The Talking Pen, and over two thousand followers.
That may not seem like a lot for some, but to me, it is huge and I am so thankful. If what I write touches even a handful of lives, my goal will be accomplished.
Substack is exploding with writers of all genres, cultural, religious, and political persuasions. It makes our reading choices much more difficult, so I am very grateful for those who have stayed with me from the beginning and for those who continue to join the list. Not everything I write will interest every single reader, so thanks for not jumping ship.
Another goal for year three is to encourage more discussion (agreement, disagreement, and suggestions are welcome) on the topics I write about here. Don’t be shy about weighing in with your thoughts.
OK, my friends - let’s do this …
Cork
January 6, 2025
Thank you for subscribing to Life UnCorked where the focus is on successfully navigating the issues of life from a Christian point of view.
While you’re here, check out my creative writing ‘Stack: The Talking Pen, where you’ll find fiction & non-fiction stories, poetry, art, and personal musings that illustrate the struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of life.
Cork, a great line with, "There is no expiration date, on this side of the grave, for serving others."
Hey Cork; I'm liking your focus! My wife and I are just over a month into retirement. She has some health issues that are always a consideration but we're anxious to 'get into this!'