Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Empty Nester/Retirement (from work) (09/10/09)
-
TITLE: A Purpose for Every Season | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lisa Taylor
09/12/09 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
So that begs another question – what do old people do all day? Travel on tour buses with other old people? Eat things like greens and okra? Look forward to funerals as social functions?
A man from my church recently died at the age of 93. People at his funeral commented that he lived so long because he went to bed after “Wheel” at 6:30pm every evening and got up around 3:30am to a breakfast of sausage and toast. Every. Single. Day. A 3:30am natural rise from slumber?
When I thought about my current state of being versus the potential of the aforementioned reality, I decided that maybe I shouldn’t despise the alarm so much and rush the idea of getting older.
I have to admit that I’ve wasted a lot of time longing for the passing of years, wishing away my current phase of life, and looking forward to the day that God would move me into a different season. After all, we’re wired to think that way. As a toddler, I was encouraged to act like a big girl. When I was in elementary school, I played dress up and longed for the day I could wear high heels and strut into work with my briefcase. In middle school, couldn’t wait for high school. In high school, college. College, working world, marriage, family of my own, retirement – you get the picture.
As a planner, I have always looked ahead, envisioning the phases of my life and pretty much telling God what I needed for it to look like. Don’t know about you, but although God’s goodness has always been constant, my reality has not necessarily been an outright accommodation of my plans.
Over the last few years as I have grown in my relationship with God, He has used circumstance to lovingly encourage me to slow down. It’s been hard, but I am finally in a place of surrendering to His purpose. And in exchange, He’s replaced my fast forward button with a big fat play button that is allowing me to live each day with an excitement for what’s on His agenda rather than mine. Despite the challenges I’m facing in this current season of life, He’s giving me a peace that lets me know I’m exactly where He wants me. And rather than wish it away, I need to embrace each moment and continue to ask Him to put me in the middle of His plans rather than trying to get Him to come over to my myopic way of thinking.
I’ve come to realize that every season of life is beautiful, meaningful and purposeful when God is the tour guide and we choose to stay right behind Him, instead of rushing ahead to the next exhibit or lagging behind. As long as we are breathing, there is joy to be found in living according to His purpose- even in what may appear to be the mundane.
Now for all you retired people that are perhaps laughing at or even offended by my view of your world, know that when I look back on this article in 30 years, chances are that I’ll be excited about a trip to Branson, grateful for the greens I’m eating, and relieved that I’m way past my mid-thirties. That’s just the way life works when you embrace the journey.
Whether you are 93 and waking at 3:30am or 36 and dreadfully pressing snooze til 7:00am, I pray that you view each season of life as a beautifully wrapped gift to be opened with expectation and cheerfully given back to God.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Diane Skeldon