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bible, Blessings, Christianity, faith, family, God, jesus, lessons learned, life, peace, personal, retirement, staycation
I’m getting a little tiny taste of retirement this week, a nugget of nothing, a week of staycation. Nothing is what I expect, however I doubt nothing is not what retirement will be. What it will mean, if the past few days are a decent sample, is that I will get a chance to work in ways that I enjoy. Sleep will be less regimented, controlled less by an alarm clock and more by my own internal clock. Yesterday, I managed to sleep past 7 AM, but today my internal clock had me awake a little past 5 and out of bed by 6. That is fine by me. I like the quiet comfort of the morning, the feeling of being greeted by God as his creation is slowly illuminated before me. A serene scene is laid out before me, a glassy pond reflecting the trees on the other side and shrouded by the morning mist, all framed by the trees in my back yard and the glass doors from my dining room. My morning coffee, a half cup of strong heavily sweetened dark roast, has been consumed, as has my usual half cup of oatmeal with chopped banana and honey drizzled on top.
Also part of that routine is opening God’s word, turning my focus even more in the direction I want to go. I’m on my way to Him, after all. And, in the words of a favorite song, I want to know my maker more. That’s part of the journey, as well, and each day finds me more aware of how much I need to be aware of God’s presence. How easy it has been to lose my way on that journey, yet somehow I keep finding my way back to the path. I am reading through the old testament right now, just this morning read about Solomon in II Chronicles, was struck by the thought that his wisdom included recognizing keeping God’s presence the number one priority. When he built the temple in Jerusalem, he did it in a way that served as a constant reminder of God to the people. Israel had a history of forgetting God, following pagan ways, and they suffered as a result. When Israel returned their focus to God, God restored them. David set the example for his son Solomon, and Solomon learned to honor God through his father. As a result, Israel benefitted from their dedication to God. Solomon was not only rich, but his 40 year reign as king was peaceful. His wisdom came from his dedication and focus on his maker.
I see that in my own life. My life has been the same pattern of turning to, turning from, and returning to God. God has always been there for me, even when I have been at my worst. His grace has always been ready for me. My hardest times have always had that component of doing it on my own, often due to my intentionally doing my own thing, ashamed to go to Him, foregoing that time to approach God and ignoring His call to me. I am amazed at how my mercifully God accepts me back. It is those times when I have come to Him, have listened, have come next to Him, that I find the peace of the walk.
A few more days to bask in the slowness. Today is a little bit busy, with an appointment to get the first of three gel injections in my knee. Insurance requires that I get a cortisone shot, gel injections, and therapy before a knee replacement will be considered. I need a new knee. Lisa joked last night that my body is starting to wear out. Yesterday I raked leaves (a big job for me — we have a lot of trees), cleaned out the fireplace, stacked wood. She noticed I was moving a bit slowly as bedtime approached. Earlier in the week, I had split firewood, my body reminding me of the exertion for several days afterwards. I’m in that still young but forever on the cusp of old stage of life, I guess. Today will end by leading a Divorce Care group, something that God has put on my heart to do, and likely one of the volunteer activities that will continue into my retirement.
Just to be clear, I still have a few years before I retire. Lisa retires in April. I get to watch her in her retirement for a while before I experience retirement myself. That’s good. She will help me get ready!
shenrydafrankmann 