As our prospect of retirement gets closer, Tim and I are having more conversations about what it might look like and when it might start. Still, we seem to have far more questions than answers at this point. With the chaotic economy, less in our retirement fund than we had hoped, and several friends retiring before we ever could….it’s easy to feel a bit discouraged. A bit overwhelmed. And it’s vital that we focus on things we can control instead of on things that are too late to fix.
Because I’m a teacher, I have time during the summer to regroup and get things organized; closets, storage rooms…and priorities. This summer, I determined to focus on the question of retirement and whether or not we are on the best possible path – not the path to retiring with lots of money, but the path to knowing that we lived our lives wisely. We lived intentionally. And we stored up more treasure in heaven than on earth. And so, I started asking myself these questions: Do our habits and activities align with our hopes for the future? Do they align with our intentions to achieve certain goals? Do they reveal our intended priorities?
Driving home from the lake last week, Tim help me brainstorm a list of our habits and activities; from cooking and cleaning to serving at church, spending time with family, and spending days on the lake. We ended up with a list of nearly 40 things that define our current reality. Next, we wrote down what we believe to be our mission as a couple: “To love and honor God and each other, as we show God’s love and hope to others.” Sounds pretty good, right? And if we’re on the right track, then everything will fit together.
When we got home, I wrote each item from our list on its own piece of paper, making it easy to sort, and wrote the following three headings on larger sheets: Mission, Necessities, Other. (see pics below) Next, we sat at our coffee table and began to sort. Which habits are NECESSARY? Which fit directly with our MISSION? And which ones are EXTRA?
It went a bit quicker than I expected, but the end result was sadly less surprising: 14 cards landed under Necessities, 14 under Other, and only 9 were nestled under Mission. Sigh. If it was a budget, we’d be in a major hole. But then it struck me. What we were looking at was a budget. The words spread across the coffee table represented a balance sheet of our time, energy, and money. And If we really believe in the mission statement, then our account is way out of balance. The financial pundits may disagree, but it seems to me that there’s no sense focusing on our financial readiness for retirement until we first focus on the following question: Do our daily habits align with our mission, and are they getting closer to a meaningful retirement or farther from it?
Our pastor frequently makes the observation that we tend to judge other people by their actions, while we judge ourselves by our intentions. Bingo! Why was it so easy to rattle off an awesome, focused mission statement, when our actions seem to be all over the place? Why? Because we’ve been judging ourselves by our intentions. Living for the fun of today, while maintaining the best intentions for tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll get back into the Bible. Tomorrow I’ll get serious about praying again. Tomorrow I’ll check in with that friend who is hurting. Tomorrow I’ll…
Whether we’re talking about time or money, the Bible gives a clear picture of what our “budgets” should look like: “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So now what?
Do we stop planning family reunions? Sell the boat and stop watching television? Seems a bit drastic, doesn’t it? But clearly something needs to change. We began talking through each card and asking ourselves questions about the mayhem in front of us. We identified some things that need to go, things that need to stay, things that need to change, and ways we need to put more time and energy into our mission. There’s no perfect formula, of course. But now is the time to face the truth.
What we do today is more important than what we plan to do in the future.
Jack Hyles
Our lives are FULL of really good things that bring joy and bring us closer to each other and to friends and family. I believe these things are gifts from God, as long as we have our eyes wide open to our eternal purpose. In the Bible, King Solomon writes that there is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven. He writes that there is nothing better than for God’s children to find joy in eating, drinking, and even entertainment. Taking an assessment of our habits and activities isn’t about abiding by a legalistic list of rules and getting rid of the fun stuff. On the contrary! It is about celebrating the good purpose we are created with and chasing it with all our hearts, minds, and strength. JOY is found in discovering that we are God’s handiwork, created to do good works. And JOY is found in chasing all that he prepared ahead of time for us to do! The take-away is that we simply must be more intentional about chasing things that build treasure in heaven.
How about you?
This was a such an eye-opening exercise for us and we highly recommend that you try it! All you need is a few sheets of paper, something to write with, and an open mind. What you get is a visual representation of whether you are floating through life with a false sense of impact, based on your intentions, or pursing habits and activities that support and contribute to your mission.
I don’t know what your mission is but the important thing is that YOU know what it is. As the saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” None of us wants to end up with nothing. But even though God has “given us everything required for life and godliness,” we often save his abundance for Sunday morning. Let’s not miss one more of the rich blessings available to us in this life. Let’s recommit to chasing a mission focused on eternity instead of spending our days only enjoying mindless mayhem.
KRISTI is the author of the Before books and coloring books for children and the Your Soul To Keep one-year prayer book for parents of adults. She writes to inspire parents and grandparents to shine the joy of Jesus into the lives of their families and to laugh without fear of the future (Proverbs 31:25). She and her husband Tim live in Iowa where they love doing life with their sons and daughters-in-law, six grandbabies, and two very spoiled dogs.