Flourishing In Retirement
Theme / Wise Decisions
Read Time / 2 Minutes
The orange was ripe and ready to pick. The day was hot, and I needed a juicy refreshment – especially one that was hanging on a tree branch within my reach as I walked down the sidewalk. So, I picked it! Soon I heard the voice of a woman in a nearby house, scolding me for picking an orange off her tree!
I was in middle school on vacation with my family in Europe. We were visiting Monaco, a sovereign city-state on the Mediterranean Sea, and we were finishing up a day of walking and seeing the sites. Since the branches of the orange tree were hanging over the public sidewalk, I didn’t see any harm in picking an orange! Unfortunately, it was not a well-thought-out decision – especially when I hurried down the sidewalk after the scolding (with the orange in my hand).
Picking the orange was a spur-of-the-moment decision and it ended up being a poor decision. On a larger scale, we can sometimes approach retirement like that. We can decide to retire without thinking through what lies ahead of us. But, according to Scripture, it shouldn’t be that way. In Ephesians 5:16 we are encouraged to “make the most our time” – even in retirement. The Christian author, Mitch Anthony, provides us direction with four keys to flourishing in retirement (gleaned from his book “The New Retirementality”).
Key #1 – Engage at any age. Don’t let society tell you when you’re done. A recent study showed that if you delay your retirement by one year, you increase your longevity by 11%.
Key #2 – Retire “to” something and not “from” something. What do you want your next chapter of life to look like? There are 168 hours in each week, how are you going to spend your time?
Key #3 – Balance vacation and vocation. What hobbies and interests do you have, or do you have a desire to explore? Are there any aspects of your work that you think you might miss? Research shows that 27% of people who “retire” today go back to work within 4-6 months.
Key #4 – Purpose matters as much as money. There needs to be enough purpose to wake up in the morning and enough money to sleep at night.
My unplanned orange-picking decision many years ago was not a wise decision, evidenced by me still contemplating it today. In contrast, may each of us make wise decisions as we contemplate retirement. As we move through the latter stages of life, let us be challenged by Christ’s words: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
Doug Hanson, MBA
Wealth Advisor
208.697.3699
doug@christianwm.com
