With time on our hands as retirees, I’m sure our brains can be pushed into overdrive – in a variety of ways. Remembering the past with all its beautiful moments and difficult challenges, looking over our shoulder at all we have experienced to place us in time as we are. I’m sure we are all pondering the future and what lies ahead for us in the “twilight” years. And then there is simply the “what’s on the list for today” that we have to manage since it’s sitting on our doorstep.
You probably have ways to manage how you spend your past, present and future thought moments. I’m realizing that as I consider the past, I have certain memories I view through through rose-colored glasses – they are the ones i usually glamorize to make them better than they really were, but even when I pull myself back down to reality, they are pretty special. Other memories that bring some pain remind me to think about lessons learned and if I have truly learned them or just pushed them to some dark recess in my mind where I don’t have to see them. In my world, it is critical to live without regret – pain and sadness may be there, but regret is crippling. Lessons learned helps you build for the future, so I choose that route.
And quite honestly, lesson learned is the same every time – God is sovereign, He is always working things for His good and His glory, leave the judgment to Him, forgive, learn your lessons and move forward.
The present is actually the easiest to manage – it’s on your plate and in your face – someone is needing an answer, you have to meet a deadline or show up on time for an event, birthdays and holidays don’t wait for you if you’re tardy. I’m a list maker and during my quiet time each morning, I grab the pen and paper and go for it – putting down everything I can think of, even things beyond what my daily calendar reminds me to do.
But for the present, the most important thing I can do to get through my day is pray for joy! Not everything we do in our retired years is something we want to do, despite the fact that we have more time to lean that way. So I pray to “get on top” of things from the moment the day starts – pray FROM victory not FOR victory. God give me the joy and the strength to manage what’s knocking on my door that I have to answer and let into my day. And remind me that all we have is today – that becomes more and more our reality as we race towards the finish line of life. Be joyfully filled with gratitude to be in the game and not on the sidelines, to use a sports analogy.
The future seems to be the most challenging for me to consider. I’m sometimes paralyzed by all the choices we have – the list of ways to spend our time is rather endless – hobbies, clubs, family, friends, travel…so many ways to enjoy life. While I’m not a “bucket list” fan, I do frequently write down the things that would be meaningful for me to do in these next few years. Our life has been so full with family, profession, travel, experiences – much more than we ever expected – that now we are pretty content to look to the future, let God give us direction, and not push an agenda, other than enough time with our family.
We have good friends who do amazing and exciting things with their time – enjoying both relaxing activities and serving others. We have that opportunity to see a future that includes both with a healthy balance. We can take that fjord cruise or see the northern lights, we can play golf on a regular basis, fish when the conditions are right, spend 6 months here and 6 months there, go off the grid – so many opportunities. And we can serve our families, our church, our community, our world by giving and doing as God calls. We can be part of Kingdom work – God daily gives us opportunity. We still have exciting things to do for God’s Kingdom. We can look to our future and commit that when God calls us, we’ll go and do as He asks. How inspiring to see a future serving alongside the Creator of the universe!
Our future can look as bright as we want it to be…or honestly as bleak as we sadly see it…flourish or flop. With God on our side, I can only see opportunity to continue living each day to the fullest and seeing a future we can only imagine walking hand in hand with the Father.
“You are a success when you have made friends with your past, are focused on the present, and optimistic about the future.” Good ole’ Zig Ziegler
Question to ponder:
What really has brought satisfaction to my life?
Don't Waste Your Retirement 