Say No to Retirement & Yes to Redirection
“It is God’s call on our lives—our whole lives—that makes me see the idea of retirement as a myth. Now more than ever, I believe we are in a time where we are being stirred to action to use the gifts God has placed in us, no matter what stage of life we are in.” - IFWE
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I have no desire to retire. For me personally, I think it is one of the most depressing stages in life and I don't understand the people who are excited or longing for their retirement.
I have no desire to exit life and sit on a beach somewhere. However, there are many ministry opportunities that I frankly have no time to be part of as long as I’m part of the corporate world. I’m actually looking forward to getting involved in more of these after retirement, so I’ll have the time.
In addition, the older I get, the more I realize how much less energy I have than I did 40 years ago. Working >50 hours a week makes it that much harder to spend additional time outside the office on things that take a lot of time and energy. Not having the corporate grind to deal with is not, IMHO, something to be feared.
There’s a guy from my company at my church, and he how works less than 25% of the time at the company, but I can see how many ministries he is now involved and spending most of his day with. He hasn’t checked out of life at all. Assuming the Lord allows that, I want to be in the same position.
Dave Barnhart
While I have no desire to retire, I am finding in the last couple of years that I cannot keep up the same pace as I could just two-three years ago. Everyone is different, some have better genes than others, I guess.
If you have the strength, nothing wrong with keeping going on, but some things are just physically beyond your control. We are all in God's hands.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Don, I agree each person has to figure out what is right for them. My mom and dad are both 77 going onto 78 and they are still full steam in their careers, working over 40 hours a week. I am hoping that is the case for me at the end of the day. My job(s) are not very physical, but the work is so rewarding that I would prefer it never to stop.
What I do like about the article is that it proposes redirection. That gives a lot of opportunity and thought for those who may find genetics having an impact on their current situation. There are so many areas that could use the expertise and value that comes from someone who is older. It is a shame when I see people place a target during their working years to retire at 55 so that they can finally relax and play golf. There are others that let their mind go when they refuse to learn as they get older. I scratch my head when I see someone who is 60 complaining about why they need to use a computer and how they are so difficult to understand. My mom is in digital marketing and leverages AI tools everyday as well as video editing and she only started learning it when she was 63. I tell people don't use your age as an excuse.
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