RETIRED! To be or not to be! That was the question. Retirement can be the most exciting part of life if it is entered into with the right attitude. I had already worked past retirement age and I was still not ready to retire. I had prayed that God would let me know when, and also that He would guide me in knowing how best to use my gifts in retirement. I was confident He would. You see there was another time when life was just beginning for me.
I was still in high school. I had surrendered my life to the Lord. I was waiting for Him to tell me where He wanted me to serve. It seemed every direction I turned, I found a closed door. I grew impatient. High school graduation came and went. All my friends knew exactly where they were going, or at least it seemed that way. To complicate things our nation was involved in World War II, a time of extreme uncertainty. Add to that the fact that young people generally have had a way of trying to run ahead of the Lord. That is exactly what I did. I decided to take things into my own hands.
After a couple of false starts, wasted time, and damaged relationships, I surrendered to His leadership. No matter how long it took, I would wait. That was when God led me into one of the most satisfying careers I could have ever hoped for. He used people to guide me. Many of these have become life-long friends, re-entering my life from time to time.
Now here I was again, waiting for direction in retirement. It was exciting to look forward to how He would use me now. My first job was to help make my dad's remaining years productive and happy ones. You see, I had finally learned that God's timing and my timing are not the same. I had learned to be patient, at least more patient.
This time God worked through one of my friends who was now a State director of Woman's Work. She invited me to come help her in her work. This is what God had for me. Through the Mission Service Corps Volunteer program through Southern Baptists’ North American Mission Board, I found a place to use my gifts. I found deep satisfaction in my work and in the love of friends I made along the way
Now more than fifteen years into retirement, I am slowing down a bit. I'm staying a bit closer to home these days. I am working in my own church, teaching Sunday School and other activities as they come along. I keep busy. I continue to grow in my relationship to God which is very important to me. I thank God every day for the rich, wonderful life He led me into and guided me to fulfill. I want to be able to say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)
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