Retirement

I went to a funeral on Monday. Alan was 80 when he died. He wasn't the easiest man to get on with, but he was a man of deep faith who was passionate about God, the church and the community he lived in. He lived that out everyday.

He retired early when the government department he was working for got folded into another one. He then moved up to Papamoa and got stuck into the local community. He established the Papamoa Soccer club, helped establish the Papamoa Sports Club, was invovled in several community groups, was really active in the mission to seamen (or whatever it is called now) and his local church.

As I sat in his funeral I thought of all those people, bishops included, who just seem to hang on in. My daughter tells stories of accountants who can't let go and retire. And I thought how cool it would be to be able to retire early, like Alan, and to then use all that energy, time and skills to change the community we live in. 

It really did make me think. I hope I keep hold of this lesson. I wish others would also learn that lesson and let go.

Comments

Sharlene said…
John your gifts are too good to lose, you are too young to think about retirement. You may have grown out of youth ministry (if you truly ever do, that will be a sad day) but I think you need to refocus your energies into something that makes you happy and hopefully that's within another pocket of the church :) many blessings to you and your family.
6:35 pm
Still Looking said…
We keep thinking about retirement as loosing peoples gifts, rather than seeing them offered differently. For Alan retirement meant being able to use his gifts and time in new ways. Employed work was just one way, not the way.
12:12 pm
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