Nearing Home by Billy Graham (best book club books for discussion txt) 📗

Either we can use it to indulge ourselves, or we can use it to make an impact on the lives of others. In other words, the choice we face is between empty self-indulgence and meaningful activity.

Take the retired business executive I profiled previously. I strongly suspect that at least a dozen nonprofit social service agencies in his community could have used his business expertise to help themselves become more effective. They would have loved to have him volunteer to assist them—but he never did.

DETERMINING THE GOAL

Does this mean it is wrong to relax and enjoy life during our retirement years? No, not at all; to say this would be to say that God doesn’t want us to ever enjoy the good things He gives us—which isn’t true. The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all” (11:8). The apostle Paul repeated the Old Testament’s command for children to honor their parents, so that “you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3). God knows that we need rest and exercise and relaxation; after a grueling period of ministry, Jesus urged His disciples to “come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

But if this is all we do—if our only goals during our retirement years are to enjoy life and have as good a time as possible—then we may well have fallen into the trap of empty, meaningless activity. More than that, we have forgotten one of the Bible’s central truths: every day—without exception—is a gift from God, entrusted to us to use for His glory. This is true for your working years, and it is equally true for your retirement.

FINDING THE KEY

What, then, is the key to a successful retirement? See your retirement as a gift from God. Retirement isn’t something that just happens if you live long enough, and it isn’t even a reward for your years of hard work; it is a gift from God. Once you understand this, you will approach your retirement differently.

God gave these years to us—however few or many they turn out to be—so we could do His will. Paul’s admonition applies to every believer: “And he [Christ] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). But in another sense God’s will is specific and individual. His plan for your retirement isn’t the same as it is for someone else’s. Remember: He knows all about you. He knows what you can and can’t do; He knows your gifts and abilities, which, after all, come from Him; He also knows what opportunities you have to serve Him. In addition, He knows your needs and limitations at this stage of your life, and He wants to help you cope with them.

Therefore, the questions we each must face are these: Will we seek God’s plan for our retirement years? Or will we drift aimlessly along, assuming our usefulness is over and spending the rest of our days trying to squeeze as much enjoyment as we can out of life? Admittedly His plan for us may change as the years pass and our circumstances change, but no matter how far along we are on life’s road, our constant goal should be seeking God’s direction for what lies ahead. Remember: His way is always, always best.

Perhaps you are considering retirement; perhaps you have been retired for some years. Whatever your situation, seek God’s will for your future. Pray about it, seek wisdom from others, search God’s Word for direction, and trust Him to guide you. His will for you during retirement may not differ greatly from what you have envisioned—or it may take you in new and unexpected directions. But whatever the outcome, make God’s will your priority for your retirement years. Then you’ll be able to look back over your life and say with King David, “My share in life has been pleasant; my part has been beautiful” (Psalm 16:6 NCV).

ENDURING THE UNEXPECTED

Have you ever heard the saying that when one door closes, another opens? There is much truth in this. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has a chaplaincy program called the Rapid Response Team (RRT). While we have always worked with Christian chaplains around the world, a great need arose in the wake of 9/11. My son Franklin had flown to New York to see how Samaritan’s Purse could provide assistance. The greatest need he identified was for chaplains. People devastated by the cataclysmic attack were roaming the streets that had once surrounded the Twin Towers. Some sobbed; some stared up into the sky in a stupor; others walked aimlessly along holding signs with names and pictures of loved ones and friends still missing. They all had something in common: they looked lost.

Ground Zero was not an easy place to access, but Franklin began calling pastors and Bible students, asking them to come and provide spiritual help. We were overwhelmed by the response from people who had the skills and hearts for such work. Franklin had the vision to assemble and train battalions of chaplains who would be willing to go, at a moment’s notice, to areas of the nation or the world where disaster struck. Today, many of these volunteers are retirees—men and women who want to reach out to those in need, open the Bible, and share with them that there is still hope through Jesus Christ, even in times of despair. Souls have been saved, and others, already believers, have been encouraged through spending time in prayer with these chaplains, receiving comfort that comes from above.

One man who had been a construction worker all of his life said, “I thought my life was over when I was forced to retire because of back trouble. I never dreamed that God would allow me to help people with greater problems than mine by going and praying with them