Retirement

There are benefits to remaining active, even into the “senior years.” In a U.S. New and World Report article (3-14-12), Philip Moeller shares “6 Reasons Why You Should Never Retire”: (1) There is no physical reason to retire. (2) Continued work can support healthy aging, including better physical and mental health. (3) Well-being and happiness are boosted when people are engaged in challenging and meaningful activities. Work is a major place to find such activities in our society. (4) Older people have rich experience and mentoring skills to help enrich the workplace experiences of younger colleagues. (5) Declining numbers of younger workers, courtesy of lower fertility rates, will raise the need to retain older employees in the workforce. (6) We need and like the money, and shorter retirements sharply cut the risk we will outlive our assets. He also adds: “Continuing to work keeps people engaged and requires learning new skills. While the perfect antidote to the hazards of aging has not yet been identified, performing meaningful work is certainly a major part of the answer. For people who have "retired" in a technical sense, there has been a boom in encore careers and other volunteer experiences. Many of these people are working as hard and effectively as they ever have, and reaping big health and wellness benefits.”

There is no retirement age for a disciple of Jesus Christ. At no point should we be comfortable in watching from the sidelines. Of course, older age may mean that we have to adjust our methods and choices in serving God, but it should not be used as an excuse to stop altogether. In fact, it is possible that many senior saints will have more time to devote to kingdom purposes when other priorities like making a living and raising a family are less pressing. Don’t be tempted to check out on your church family! We need you now more than ever. Younger saints need the encouragement and example of older saints, who can be a living illustration of a LIFETIME of discipleship.

God loves you!
Mike