I recently retired from full-time church leadership.  I left my position in good hands, and was granted a wonderful send-off by the congregation I have served for twenty-eight years. 

My new reality is an interesting one.  During my lifetime, I have met people who don’t want to acknowledge this season which leads them to resist the word “retire.”  I get it.  The mere mention of retirement scares some people because they don’t know what they are going to do with the rest of their lives, their identity is totally wrapped up in their career, or they are not prepared financially for the days ahead.  Even those who move from retirement into another career must learn to embrace the unfamiliar.

In my case, I will be working full-time as a Chaplain Resident at a Veterans Medical Center.  I will be sharing hope with a population of very important people.  In addition, I plan to continue to fulfill my personal calling to the Preaching Ministry, as time and opportunity permits. 

Still, I have retired. 

And this is a good word no one should be afraid of.

Whether we struggle with the way others describe our new status, or carry our own baggage from our personal perceptions of retirement, we should not worry.  In fact, while retirement in our culture means we have officially left a particular occupation, the origin of the word means much more.

A quick internet search of the origin of “retire” reveals its connection to two French words which, when combined, mean to “draw back.”  Furthermore, the kind of drawing back originally intended was that of entering into seclusion or a place of safety.  This aspect of retirement reminds me of tennis players who choose to “retire” from a match due to circumstances which make it impossible or impractical for them to continue.  But the decision to draw back is not permanent.    

This gives me food for thought as I retire from full-time church leadership.  Before my official day of retirement, I was already in a mode of reflection as I took time to consider how God had worked in my life during my ministry, and to consider what He had planned for my next chapter.  This has led me to explore new theological possibilities as I ponder how God directs His servants who transition from long-standing areas of service.  Does He call us to a new work?  Does He show us new ways to pursue the calling we already have?

I have considered biblical examples.  For example, Moses was caring for sheep when God called him to deliver the Hebrew children from Egypt.  Moving over a million people through the wilderness is a form of shepherding, but challenging a powerful world leader like Pharaoh isn’t.  This is why God gave Moses the tools he would need to speak with authority (his brother, Aaron), and to prove he meant business (his staff).  Moses’ role was nothing new, but in other ways it was.

Peter, Andrew, James and John left their fishing nets to become “fisher of men”.  They were doing the same thing they had always done, only with a with a new and eternal purpose. 

Often God’s servants have done some of their best work in times of “retirement”.  The New Testament books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon might not have been written, and certainly would have had a different flavor had it not been for the Apostle Paul’s seclusion in prison.  It is thought the Apostle John received and wrote down the book of Revelation while he was in exile in a cave on the Island of Patmos. 

Not only is retirement not a time to quit serving the Lord, but it could well be the very time we need to discover areas of God’s grace and goodness we have overlooked.  Perhaps retirement is not retirement at all. 

Ok, I realize I am sounding a little like the people I noted earlier who don’t want to hear the word retirement.  But I will share the truth other retirees have shared with me in a little different way: Sometimes we are busier in retirement than we were before.  This isn’t necessarily because we are busy helping others who tap into our extra time (if we have it), although this can be partially true.  But now I believe it is mostly because when we “draw back”, we enter a season of new possibilities as we look to God once more to order our steps. 

With this understanding, it is possible for anyone to “retire.” When we practice the principle of the biblical Sabbath, and rest from our labor long enough to reconnect with God, we are “drawing back.” 

How about that! You can retire today, regardless of your season of life.  Of course, you may still need to go back to work tomorrow, but your retirement will help prepare you for what comes next.  The time you spend in prayer, in the Word of God and in reflection will help you see tomorrow more clearly.

By the way, I have a few days before I start my Residency, and I plan to do some traditional retiring on a nearby lake.  Retirement is a good thing, no matter how you define it!