“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14 KJV).
As the years pass by, and the children leave the home, something else happens as well. The bills go and your money begins adding up. This is especially true if you delayed your gratification in your younger years and saved for your future.
If your reason for working was to provide for your family and do the best you could for your employer, then once the children are out of the picture and your employer is gone, you might lose your sense of meaning and purpose. You may struggle with feelings of no longer being useful to society. That is why you need to retire to something instead of from something.
People look at the retirement world and think that you’re not supposed to do anything when you’re retired. No, retirement means that you don’t have to work for some other person any longer. You can do what you want to do now. You can spend your time doing the work of the ministry or volunteering your services at a local school, library, or hospital.
Spend your years leading up to retirement developing yourself personally and spiritually. Explore new interests or hobbies. Work on building up your relationship with your spouse. Start seeking God ahead of time concerning what He has planned for you during that season of your life. That way you’ll have a general idea of what you’re going to do when the time comes.
Look Forward, Not Backward
A Christian has no business looking back. You can’t change what is behind you. So forget the pass and keep pressing forward to the new seasons of life God has for you.
When you’ve been obedient to God, you can look forward with excitement and great anticipation to each new season in life that He gives you. God always brings us into a wider place. You’ll be blessed going in and blessed going out.
You can’t help but be blessed when you’ve been a good steward over the two most prized relationships that God has entrusted to you – the marriage and family. But the biggest blessing of all has to be the joy of coming full circle in your journey with a lifetime of rich memories and a mate who is still committed, still loving, and still standing by your side.
Scripture References: Ecclesiastes 3:1; Deuteronomy 28:6
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Pastor Deborah L. Butler is the first lady Word of Faith International Christian Centre located in Southfield, Michigan where she serves in ministry with her husband, Bishop Keith A. Butler.
Pastor Deborah is a licensed and ordained minister of the Gospel. Her encouraging, yet down-to-earth teaching imparts wisdom from the Word of God into all that hear her speak. One of Pastor Butler’s many duties is serving as the Director of the Women of Virtue Ministry. Pastor Deborah is often called to travel to other ministries to teach and admonish women to walk in the wisdom of God, and to experience peace in every area of their lives.