A Geriatric Calling
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ”
Abram was seventy-five years old when he started his journey with God. Uff da! He wasn’t a twenty-year-old with six-pack abs. He wasn’t a thirty-year-old, starting his peak career years. No, this was an old guy with arthritis. Remember, when God promised him and Sarah offspring, she laughed because they were so old. Apparently, you are never too old to be called by God.
I’ve watched too many good people work their entire lives just to make retirement. Often, they don’t have a retirement plan. I don’t mean a financial plan; I mean a life plan. Suddenly, the person goes from working 50+ hours per week to very few responsibilities. Those who retire to the lazy boy have shorter life expectancy. Those with a retirement life plan have a longer life expectancy.
Your life shouldn’t be less meaningful in retirement. Your retirement is a gift. Now, you have more time to devote to your God-given call. If you are retired, do you have a spiritual plan that gets you out into the world? I know a wonderful retired woman who volunteers at the hospital and is up most days at the ungodly hour of 4:00 AM to greet those first arrivals ready for surgery. She is there with information and a comforting smile. I speak from first-hand knowledge!
If you are younger and still working for an income, do not wish your life away. Do not wait until the last minute to form your retirement process. That plan should have a financial component, but it should also include a guideline for how you will spend your time. Time is as much a commodity as dollars. Spend time dreaming about how you will spend your retirement commodity. Also, pray that God will call you to meaningful work that will bring meaning and joy to the retirement stages of your life. Abram shouldn’t be the only seventy-something to begin a new calling in life.
