I'm still a working stiff for another 4 weeks, so that's going to make fitting in these posts a little tricky. But I want to come back here frequently, establishing the habit of putting words down, forming sentences, trying to say a little something.
Speaking of retirement, I googled "finishing well" yesterday and the first few options were from Desiring God, The Navigators, and the National Association of Evangelicals. I liked the last of these three and would like to consider it in detail here. The article is by Daniel Sweeting. It lists 6 characteristics of those who finish well. But first, what does "finishing well" even mean?
Sweeting puts it this way:
When we use the phrase, “finishing well,” we mean following Christ to the very end of our lives, finishing his assignments for us and hearing his “well done, good and faithful servant.”
When I think about finishing well, I think about not wasting my retirement. I don't want retirement to be a time of lackadaisical meandering, looking for projects to keep me busy, etc. I suppose I want it to have purpose, an aim. Even the term "finishing well" conjures the metaphor of a footrace. You want to keep running, even despite the fact that in many ways you're slowing down. You want to keep your eyes on the prize, to remain faithful to the call, etc. All those articles linked above speak of such matters.
I'm at the doorstep of a new era of my life. It feels something like graduation from high school. What now? I think Sweeting's definition of finishing well is basically right. It's about "following Jesus." I'm going to look one-at-a-time at his six characteristics in future posts. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to figure some things out, burn away the fog. I hope so!
This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Isaiah 6:16
No comments:
Post a Comment