Too Soon?

Have you ever had one of those moments when maybe you were trying to be funny and you said something too soon? Maybe it was about a friend's recent breakup or someone who lost their job. You said it to lighten up the moment but you realized you said it too soon and it was awkward or worse.

Recently I had a "too soon" experience that was of a different nature. For the last few years people have been asking me when I plan on retiring. My standard answer has been, “I’m going to pump the brakes at 70 and see how I feel.” I turned 69 in March so 70 isn’t far off. A lot of my contemporaries in ministry have retired. For the last couple of years I’ve felt a weird self imposed peer pressure to retire because after all that’s what you are supposed to do when you reach a certain age, right? Actually nowhere in the Bible does it talk about a retirement age.

A little over a month ago I sat down with a friend I went to college with. He is the head of a church planting organization our church is a part of. I was telling my friend that maybe I need to start thinking about retiring. He thoughtfully listened as I shared my thoughts on retirement. When I was finished my friend said, “Steve, I think you are tired and discouraged. I think you have a lot left in the tank.” I thought long and hard about what he said in the following days and weeks. I began praying and asking God to give me insight on how I was feeling and what I was thinking.

One of the great passages in the Bible is found in Proverbs 3:5-6 where it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Throughout my life I’ve had this tendency to get ahead of God. I’m embarrassed to admit that pulling the trigger too soon has tripped me up more than a few times. Making important decisions based on peer pressure is a mistake. They say age is just a number. At 69 I feel great and like my friend said I have a lot left in the tank. I would tell you what my new plan is but if I did, once again I would be getting ahead of myself and more importantly, God.

Here is my encouragement to you. Take your cues from God, not from people or circumstances. Our journey with Jesus is full of life lessons. Class is in session. Are you ready to learn?

Stay close to Jesus,

Steve