Retire or Reinvigorate?

About a 3-minute read

“What do you mean retire? You’re not dead yet!” 

Doug Nichols, the founder of Action International Ministers, is known to frequently challenge “maturing” Christians approaching retirement. He exhorts graying believers to not pull the plug on active, meaningful engagement. He implores us wrinkling Jesus-followers to fulfill the mission the Master has given his followers. “What do you mean retire? You’re not dead yet!” 

He may have a point. I can’t think of anywhere where Jesus said to put oneself out to pasture at the age of 65 or so. That’s a pretty western concept. 

There’s no evidence of any of the Apostles retiring. In fact, they were engaged right to the last breath. It’s generally accepted that all but one were martyred. They faithfully followed Jesus until their contract with Christ was fulfilled. (See Luke 9:23, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Galatians 2:20)

The Apostle John kind of retired. He spent a good share of his sunset years in a “retirement community”–the island penal colony of Patmos. Even there he was fully engaged, receiving the “revelation of Jesus,” the last book of the Bible. (See Revelation 1:1-3 and 1:9.) Tradition suggests that even a boiling pot of oil did not stop John from finishing his Jesus-following. By God’s grace, he was not deep-fried but survived to enjoy the (lack of) luxuries on the “retirement” isle of Patmos. (Check out “Was Saint John Boiled in Oil?”)

Think about it. Moses did not enter his “promised land” of retirement (Deuteronomy 34:1-7). Caleb was still swinging the sword when he was 85 years old (Joshua 14:8-12). Joshua didn’t take the easy street. He didn’t enter into his final rest until the people he led were revived, recommitted, and released into their inheritance (Joshua 24:19-30). 

I’m personally grateful for my dad’s example. Battling cancer, he let me know he wanted to “die with my boots on.” Pointing to a valley where two mountains touched in Mountain Province, Philippines, he told me, “bury me there where the sun rises.” Where specifically, Dad? “Where it looks good to you.” I think for my mother’s sake, however, he entered his ultimate retirement in his home town in Michigan.

So what should it be? Retire or reinvigorate?

Think about it. Retire, also known as pull out, relinquish, retreat, surrender, withdraw, recede, regress, resign, rusticate. Not too inspiring, is it? Reinvigorate suggests enliven, resuscitate, renew, restore, revitalize, revive, exhilarate, reanimate, replenish, breathe new life into. Now that’s a vision I can embrace!

You too?

I have a friend approaching retirement. He has begun to realize he does not need to be a slave to self-centered sunset years. He has begun to pray, “Lord, now that I’ll have so much extra time, how do you want me to invest it in things that are important to you?” That surely is a prayer that brings a smile to Jesus’ face.

What will it be? Retire or reinvigorate?

“What do you mean retire? You’re not dead yet!”