So here is a question for all to ponder...what is retirement? What does the Bible say about retirement? I was recently challenged by this and had to stop and question my own views on this subject.
Like most Americans, I was raised to work hard with the 'idea' that if I put into the Social Security System I would, in my later years, be able to retire. Yet, as I have grown older and am closing in on that magical time in my life that I should be able to draw a monthly stipend to allow me to laze around the house and drink iced tea or whatever is my dream of retirement, the government and all the economists are saying that there won't be anything left for me to receive. The Social Security System is going broke. All the money that I have been putting into that system has been given away. Okay, now what? That wonderful bit of news started me thinking about what retirement is and what Father's plan for retirement really looks like.
First let's talk about our American misguided ideas or dreams of retirement. We have been hit with all kinds of media and training that tells us that there is a magical time in our lives that we 'should be able to retire.' That being, a time in our lives where we can just sit back and enjoy a life of ease. We are entitled to it because we have spent all our youth chasing after the big dreams, all the high profile jobs and everything that our society sees as us having achieved success. We are told what success is, and how it looks and that you have to be willing to sacrifice everything to achieve it. We have learned this so well that our divorce rate and our broken homes are among the highest in the world. We value achieving those goals as our main driving force....I know because I bought into this as well for too many years. We have changed our American Values to 'it's all about me' and even our shows and media support this. No longer do athletes help each other up or slap one another on the back from opposing teams. Instead they stand over each other and taunt each other, that is our sportsmanship. Or if one is unhappy, let's just start a fight or throw a temper tantrum. Our youth thinks this is what sportsmanship is all about and we are condoning these attitudes by supporting our favorite troublemaker athletes. But that is for another writing...
Our dream is supposed to be a Huge house with 2-3 Lexus' or Mercedes benz' cars in the driveway. A wife that is a super model or a husband that is a financial powerhouse. We are supposed to be able to travel the world and eat at all the fine restaurants while staying at 10 star hotels. Truthfully, some will actually achieve these goals and I congratulate you if you have done so. But was there casualties along the road to success?
As we age we start looking at our lives and seeing the reality of what we have achieved. I also was slapped in the face with my lack of looking for higher involvement in my path. So the question I asked myself was 'how did you define success and are you happy with your success?' I will tell you that my own introspection was difficult for me as I looked at where I had been and what I had done.
The Bible tells us Father's retirement plan is for us to store up in heaven our treasures so that when we are finally retired from this life we will have a wonderful place to live and take our ease. He does not say that life will be easy nor that we will ever achieve the world's or society's definition of success. What Father does say is that where you hoard your treasure is where your heart will be, Luke 12:34. Therefore, if you scrimp and save and hoard your money and things in this life then you will be focused on earthly things. Whereas, if you follow Father's plan, you should find that you are supporting others with what He has given you. Am I saying that you will starve and not support your own families? NO. Father tells us that we are to take care of our own families (1 Tim 5:8), but He also expects us to support those who do not have a support network.
You see America believes that as we age our usefulness is diminished and we at a point will become a 'dependant' upon our welfare system. All our ability to help society will have left with our youth. But God did not design us that way. In fact, I cannot find one place in the bible that God says,"upon reaching this age you will no longer be required to work." What I do see is that God tells us as we age that we are to teach and train the young men. We are to guide and mentor them with our knowledge and wisdom. The same is true for the ladies and young women.
This reflection was initially troubling to me. I had been raised to believe that I was owed a retirement and that it was my right to be able to draw money from SSI upon reaching that age. Yet, now I can no longer look at this whole topic the same because God did not add retirement to our living plan. I believe that His real plan was for our young men to learn a trade in their youth and then as they aged to become more involved with His kingdom work. For example, most youth are interested in starting a family and working on achieving their dream of success. As they age they are more interested in their family but work has now put strong demands upon their time. Then as they get on in age and their children start to leave, they focus on that time where they can slow down but it is not upon them yet. Work still monopolizes their time. However, this was not God's plan. His plan was for us to mentor and teach others during this season of our lives. And as we get older we would be able to spend more and more time doing this because work would slow down for us as we no longer were able to drive ourselves like before. God knew we would not be able to maintain our fast pace forever; He created us. Therefore, I believe that it was His intention that we would devote our later years to furthering His work and training the youth of the next generation to follow Him.
Finally, I would like to point out that during my search of the bible for a retirement plan, I did find one individual who was atempting to utilize a plan similar to our own planning of this age. He was the farmer who decided to store up crops in huge barns and after doing so thought it was time to sit back and take it easy. God said,"Fool! This night your soul is required of you and now who will benefit from all your wealth?" Luke 12:20. His plan was never for us to reach a point of retirement but to work until He called us home. That is our retirement plan and the best one we can every work for.
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