Retirement is a big topic, and there are as many options for how to handle it as there are individuals approaching retirement. Take time to let some flowers grow in your boots and see what kind of arrangement they make!
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a couple months, you’ve read about times for planting, uprooting, throwing away, building, scattering and gathering, laughing, and weeping, among others. Thrown into the mix were thoughts on restructuring your life, identity bridging, and setting expectations with family.
Responding to the questions that come to mind as you retire can be overwhelming: Who am I now? How can I get in better physical and emotional shape? What will I do with my time? What do I want to build? How can I use my gifts for the benefit of others? For those who are used to strict adherence to a timeline, you may have a schedule for figuring out all answers. Hold that thought.
Recognize the Change
Retirement is an abrupt change, and if you don’t recognize that fact, it can mess with you. At first, you will probably be thrilled, relaxed, and doing all the things you never had time to do before. After the retirement honeymoon is over, however, you might feel down, puzzled, not quite yourself.
It helps if you expect some of that. When it happens, you will be able to say to yourself, Oh, this is normal. Don’t sweat it. Take your time, because you’ve finally got some.
Think about how you have changed, matured, throughout your life. There have been times of tremendous change in most of our lives such as marriage, children, relocating, divorce, illness, challenging work, and loss. I would guess that these events, and the associated stress, caused you to grow.
God uses every part of our lives, particularly the difficult times, to change us into people with his heart, his voice, and his love. Far from being a time to do nothing, retirement is an opportunity to grow in relationship with God, which will also prompt growth in other areas.
Yes, it’s a big change, but it’s also an opportunity to grow closer to God, to understand yourself better, and to reimagine a new stage of life.
Take a Sabbatical
Our small group recently read Jeff Haanan’s book, An Uncommon Guide to Retirement: Finding God’s Purpose for the Next Season of Life, and it generated meaningful discussions every time we met. Several members are considering retirement or have recently retired, and they all look forward to resting.
Hannan proposes taking an intentional sabbatical of three, six or twelve months. He writes,
My argument is that sabbatical is a way to structure time in early retirement to heal past wounds, seek God’s voice, and find God’s call for the next season of life.
Healing wounds may take a while. Hearing God’s voice, discerning his call for the next season of life, may take even longer. If you think six months is enough, but at the end of the sixth month, you need more, take more. Take as long as you need. Trust God during this time, for that was always the goal the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was weekly trust training. Every week, the ancient Israelites had to stop working and trust God to provide for them. If they did so, they would have experienced God’s faithful provision and the result would have been stronger faith.
Many of us are used to working on a timeline. The next task must be done in two weeks, four weeks, or six weeks; you know the drill. A sabbatical will give you space to let go of timelines. Trust God to heal your wounds, restore your connection with him, and communicate what is best for you during this stage of your life. It may take a couple months; it may take a couple years. God knows.
Haanan recommends the following uncommon view:
Restore the balance of work, rest, and service that matures over a lifetime. Retirement may be just the opportunity to reassess these foundations of a fruitful life.
Jeff Haanan
It’s not too late to restore, even create, a balance of work, rest, and service in your life. Some of us have worked long hours and missed out on rest, and others may have served every chance they had but their work suffered. True confessions: there have been periods in my life where I rested too much. Life gets out of balance.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
Retirement best begins with a rest, a sabbatical, a time of reconnecting with God. Let him restore balance.
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
"Take some time to let flowers grow in your boots" - Love this and your picture captured the feeling!
Enjoy reading your posts as your words always helps me refocus!
thanks