A Better Answer

To a difficult question

What do you do?

We learn a lot about a person by knowing what he or she does, or did, for at least eight hours a day. The intent of this question is to find common ground with a person about which one knows little. Fair enough. However, the short answer to “What do you do?” can lead to immediately classifying and categorizing a person intellectually, economically and socially based on occupation and does not answer the question in which we’re likely more interested. Who are you? What we do emanates from who we are.

You’ve probably been asked the question, what do you do?, multiple times, as have I. It’s always been difficult for me to answer as who I am and what I do cannot be neatly summed up in one word.

Now in late adulthood, this question can be more problematic after you have left your career. To say you’re retired inhibits the conversation or maybe initiates another question very similar to the first: What do you do with all your available time?

What we do with our lives was never fully communicated by a title, profession, or job description, but that’s the only answer that we had. Now, when that one- or two-word answer is no longer available, how will we describe what we do that would give helpful information about who we are to someone asking that question?

In late adulthood, we have an opportunity to expand the definition of who we are and what we do.

Let's take a holistic look at what we do for approximately sixteen hours each day.

If you were to keep a log of each hour you spend every day for a week or two, what would it reveal? Be honest. I did that once and found it very illuminating. It helped me to treat every day as a valuable resource to be invested wisely.

When I was in my 30s and 40s, I hit the ground running most days, took care of our children, schlepped them around to parks, play dates, and grocery stores, supervised homework, attended concerts and sporting events, fed the family, my husband and I undertook the nightly bath and bedtime routine, and I either worked or volunteered at the school, church, a crisis pregnancy center and/or Community Bible Study. My husband and I went out occasionally, were not afraid to hire teenage babysitters, and managed to get some exercise once in a while.

Now, I wake up earlier than I did then, spend time with my Bible, exercise, and from that point, every day is different. Some days I take care of grandchildren or visit my mom and dad, other days are taken up by a variety of appointments. to-dos or social engagements, some days are just for fun, and others are for writing, pondering ideas and/or reading. I attempt to remain productive every hour of the day, although it doesn’t always happen.

How will I answer the question, what do you do?

I’m not asked that as often these days, but next time I think I’ll say, I do my best to love all those God has put in my life and love them well. I read and write quite a bit, entertain, enjoy social gatherings, exercise and delight in moments of fun, play and relaxation. It’s not a one- or two-word answer, but it’s much more descriptive of who I am and what I do.

Someday, we will all answer for what we did with our days. God pays attention to everything we do.

Moses is not known as a Hebrew raised and educated in Pharaoh’s house, impressive as that might be, but as the leader of the infant nation of Israel.

David was a shepherd, musician, warrior and the greatest king of Israel. God remembered him as a man after His own heart.

Paul is remembered as the most prominent and prolific apostle of the first century, not as a Pharisee or a tentmaker.

Jesus isn't identified by his carpentry, although it must have been magnificent, but by his teaching, miracles, and most importantly by his saving once for all sacrifice for our sins followed by his resurrection from the dead.

None of these characters are remembered solely for their profession. Their value in God's sight was far greater. He knows who we are, perfectly.

God knew what they did every moment of every day, just like he knows what we do every moment of every day. If we only value what we did to earn a living, we are undervaluing what we did the other 60 hours every week. In late adulthood, we have over 100 hours a week to spend as we wish. This is the time to focus on what is important to us, who we are, and how we would like to be remembered.

God is active in our lives every day working us into the people he created us to be and calling us to a unique purpose.

I believe it will be surprising when we realize the activities that God values. Playing with a granddaughter could be more useful in his eyes than writing this article. Taking my dad to a doctor’s appointment might be a better use of my time than reading retirement related information. Establishing enduring relationships is enjoyable and could be eternally impactful. Of course, our careers are valuable too, and I’m sure God will use our knowledge and experience, but there is much more to you than what you did to earn a living.

Someday, God will ask us this question: What did you do? I hope you will answer with more than an occupation.

How will you answer that question next time it’s asked?

Photo by Hadija on Unsplash

Some of this was taken from an article a post on my old blog, “What do you do?”