He was a software developer before software developers were cool. And now, after 40-plus years in the techie trenches, my husband finally gets to retire next week.
Oh yes, I’ve heard how retired couples can get on each other’s last nerve, but since Joe has worked out of his home office for the past several years, if we were inclined to kill each other, I’d probably already be dead or writing this column from prison.
Mostly I’m just thrilled that my hardworking husband can finally relax a little, free up a few brain cells, and drive his tractors. And, of course, check items off the “honey-do” list that’s getting so long I may have to get a second dry-erase board to contain it.
The atmosphere at our house is charged with anticipation for June 30 to arrive. Even our grandkids came rushing in the door the other day shouting, “We can’t wait for Pappy to retire!” Bet they have a list for him, too, and theirs is likely to be more fun than mine.
When Joe was trying to decide if it was the right time to retire, his financial graphs, pie charts and spread sheets about drove me nuts. My brain was on the verge of exploding with it all, so I offered up the following pieces of advice:
- It’s definitely wise for us to look at the financial facts and figures, but ultimately we’re still going to face a gap that can only be crossed by faith. We can’t know the future, but we can trust God.
- The issue of retirement really comes down to this: Does God want you to do something else with your time? If He does, it’s time to make a change. When God calls us to leave one thing, it’s because He has something else for us.
Joe’s impending retirement has me wondering if I can finally tell people I’m retired, too. I never know how to answer when I’m asked about my employment status. It sounds so much nobler to say I’m retired than to say I just don’t work.
My résumé isn’t completely devoid of “real” jobs, but it does make me look like I could never quite figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I prefer to think of my work history as “diverse” rather than “confused.” But aside from a relatively few paid positions, I’ve primarily invested my time in volunteer pursuits. If I’m not quitting those, can I truly declare myself retired?
And besides, there’s really no such thing as retirement in God’s kingdom. The older saints who’ve most profoundly impacted my life have been those who kept learning, growing and sharing the grace and knowledge of God and His word until they hit their earthly finish line. They had a fire in their eyes and an infectious passion in their hearts because they were determined to obey Paul’s instructions to “… press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).” I want to be like that.
This new phase of Joe’s life and mine will require us to lean hard into promises of God like “my God shall supply all your needs … (Phil 4:19)”—no matter how the stock market goes—and “… we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16)”—no matter how our health goes.
We may not have to set our alarm clocks very often, but I know retired doesn’t mean “finished.” When God says we’re done, we stop breathing. Until then, we press on, believing yet another wonderful promise: “… and as your days, so shall your strength be. (Deuteronomy 33:25b).”