For many the idea of never retiring is not a hard concept. With the performance of our 401Ks over the last decade, most of us are going to be working longer than we anticipated. When you throw in the rate at which health care costs are escalating, never retiring may be a forced reality. But let’s put the money aspect of retirement aside for a moment. I want you to get a deeper point that is more troubling about “retirement.”
What comes to mind when you think of the word PARADISE?
What images do you see? What words would you use to describe it? I bet you all are thinking of words like snow shovels, windchill factor, and snowblowers. Of course not! We all think tropical, beach, sand, and the only salt you want is on the rim of your glass. You aren’t thinking of people in business suits, you’re thinking of people in swimming suits. We never call snowy places “paradise”…we always call them “winter wonderlands.” (Because we wonder why people winter in those lands.) 😉
Not only is snow absent from our images of paradise…something else is absent…WORK.
A lot of Christians blame Monday morning on Adam and Eve. They were living in paradise. They had the good life…living naked together in a tropical location. Adam and Eve were on their honeymoon and never left…PARADISE. Then they cashed it all in for an “apple.” How does God punish their disobedience and sin? Work…or so the thinking goes.
But that isn’t how the story reads at all.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” -Genesis 2:15 (NIV)
Did you catch that? Work was part of God’s plan for us all along. Now some of you who have been around the Christian block are thinking, “What about that verse that says we will toil and labor by the sweat of our brow?” Good memory! Yes, work will be hard, but it’s not going to be miserable. I’m sure you’ve had some hard days and I bet you have also had some days where you said… “I was made for this!”
Genesis 2:15 is profound. It means that God has always intended work to be part of our life…even in paradise…before sin corrupted and polluted our world. Genesis 2:15 is not only profound for our work life now…it also has profound implications on this idea we call retirement.
The idea most people have of retirement is where you cease from all your labors and lay by a pool and sip Margaritas all day. That idea is not found anywhere in the Bible. In fact, you won’t find the word “retirement” in Scripture. That mindset is not the way a follower of Jesus looks at the world.
I’m sure some of you are mad at me right now…you are looking for the comments section…or you’re thinking about unsubscribing. Keep reading…I’m not saying never stop working for a company or changing careers…what I am saying is… the idea that you can be lazy because you’ve earned it is nowhere in the Bible. In fact, Proverbs issues strong warnings against laziness and idleness.
I read somewhere recently that most people die within 3 years of retirement if they don’t have something meaningful to invest their time in. Maybe retirement by 55 isn’t such a great idea.
Think about it from this perspective…you have more knowledge, wisdom, and life-experience than ever before and you’re going to be a good steward of all that you’ve gained by sitting by a pool? I’m not so sure that qualifies for “well-done my good and faithful servant.”
Don’t miss this…The location of your assignment may change but God still has assignments for you. It’s very important you get this. I’m not saying don’t save for retirement…I’m saying don’t ever plan to quit life.
Plan to play until the whistle blows.
If you are nearing retirement how are you planning on investing your decades of wisdom and experience into the next generation? What problems could you tackle? What non-profit could benefit from your talents? (I can suggest one!) Your greatest legacy and contribution to the world might just come during your golden years and not your prime earning years. I beg of you not to waste what you worked so hard to gain…by a pool. Play until the whistle blows!
