I have heard many make the statement, “Retirement is not in the Bible.” This is not accurate. It is in the Bible. It is addressed in both Numbers 8:23-26 (New Living Translation, New Amercian Standard, Living Bible), and I Samuel 8:1-5 (The Living Bible).
In the Numbers passage formal ministry has both a beginning and ending age. The Levites are to begin to serve at age 25 (24) and wrap at age 50 (25). After which they are encouraged to take on a variety of support roles (26).
It is not my intent to develop a theology of retirement. Nor do I choose to win an argument on the Biblical framework for retirement. I simply want to make the point that retirement is not a violation of scripture, as some have seem to elude to. And since my retirement from my current ministry role is looming, it’s nice to know I will not be participating in anti-scriptural behavior. Unless you hold hard and fast to the ending age mentioned in Numbers. I blew by that years ago.
Never having retired before, I surveyed several who have preceded me into this phase of life. I heard two common themes from those who were kind enough to share.
Let God Redefine me: I’ve been encouraged to take the first 3-6 months and disengage. I have been told regardless of how often we claimed our ministry did not define us; in reality— our ministry defined us. I will need time to discover who I am in my post-formal ministry world. I will need to retool, recalibrate, and rediscover who God has genuinely made me as my formal role will be no longer. What this will look like? How I will do this? I have no idea.
Let God bring the next. The same surveyed group told me that God will have something for me. I, however, should not pursue it. Instead let God bring it to me. In other words, wait!
Two things I have never been overly accomplished in is resting or waiting. Evidently my early stages of retirement will be out of my comfort zone. This is a bit at odds with what I perceived it to be.
I gained another insight from my friend Bob. He owned and operated a dry walling company. He was use to high demands, bottom lines, and crisis management. Over lunch he asked me an interesting question: How have you handled stress?
I responded that I felt I handled it well. I typically dealt with issues and moved on. Whatever needed to be decided was decided. Whatever needed to be addressed was addressed. I never felt I carried it with me.
He told me he handled it much the same when he ran his business. But he discovered that in his early phases of retirement much of the stress he thought he handled well tended to rise up. He recognized what he thought he simply moved on from was mostly pushed down.
He gave me a heads up as this may be my reality as well. Another wonderful thing to look forward to.
In truth, I am retiring from my current role. I trust God will have something for me. What it is? I have no idea. If there is something I believe it will be right in my sweet spot of strength. Or it could be to settle in fully engaged in my family. My only “role” to love God and show that life to my kids and grandkids.
I think, I think regardless of what my retirement may be; it will be my hope to genuinely and authentically live contented. Contentment is not something I fully embraced at all times.
That might be it. Retirement may be time to stop the striving, impressing, living up to other’s expectations. No longer having to be concerned if what I say may cast me in a bad light. No longer fighting the inadequacies felt when I did not have the answers the role I held was suppose to have at its disposal.
Content that I am a child of God. Content I am loved by Jesus. Content that grace carries me in my fragility. Content that mercy sees beyond any and all my shortcomings. Content that my mistakes in the past will not define my present. Content in allowing God to navigate the stuff of culture even without my input. Content that I did not do everything right, but I did my best.
Retire contented.