I am discovering that retirement can be a mixed blessing. By this I mean that one has plenty of time to catch up on a long list of things needing or desiring to be done. And yet, the irony is that, even being retired, one can never really quite get caught up.
My father-in-law told me years ago that once he retired, it seemed as if he could never get everything done that he needed to do. He marveled at this, and mused that he seemed to have gotten a lot more done when he was working than once he retired.
A side of me can finally understand that. I find that I now share the same testimony in that the more projects that I attend to, the more that seem to crop up requiring my attention. Every one completed seems to spawn two that need consideration.
Of course, the upside of this is that my wife and I have been getting a lot of things done that needed doing in just a few short months. Our former home has been sold. We have moved into your new home. The unfinished portion of our home has now been completed. Furniture and appliances have been acquired. A new roof has been put on. The utilities have been transferred. Our address and contact info have all been updated, as have accounts and memberships. Etc, etc…
Here in our new place, several trees have been cut. Bushes have been trimmed. Stumps have been ground. The landscaping has been refurbished. The lawn has been manicured. Vehicles have been serviced. Tires and batteries have been bought and installed. New tags and licenses have been procured. The garage has been organized. On and on the list goes; and yet, on and on the list grows!
For it truly seems like the more we do, the more we find that needs doing. We agree that we can just never seem to get caught up!
Perhaps it was having had fact that on my mind that explains why a recent daily devotional thought from the folks over at “Lead Like Jesus” so caught my eye. Their August 11, 2020 devotional was aptly titled “Caught Up”. It reads as follows:
Paul warns Timothy not to allow other things to edge out God’s place in his life. Just as Paul said of himself, “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21), his letters urge Timothy to be faithful and focused on ministry. We, too, are called to make God our audience of One, wholeheartedly seeking Him and His purpose. What are you caught up in? Does your heart lead you to exalt God or to edge Him out of your life and leadership?
The devotional includes a verse of scripture from 2 Timothy 2:4: “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”
It then concludes with a simple prayer: “Lord, I need to stop and examine myself. What am I caught up in? Am I caught up in serving You by loving and leading like Jesus? Or have I become entangled in things that usurp Your place in my life? Refocus me this day on exalting You by living for Your approval alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
In the process of transitioning from pastoring a church full-time to semi-retirement in order to become a writer, I have struggled with ever getting “caught up” to the point that I can focus on what I feel called to do. And yet the irony is that I do not ever really need to get “caught up” – at least not in the sense that this insightful little devotional expresses it!
As you can see, I have been significantly challenged by this thought, being reminded in the process that the affairs of daily life must never be allowed to crowd out the very One Whom I am committed to honor and serve in my life and ministry! In that respect, may I never ever truly get “caught up”!
DEVOTIONAL SOURCE: You can sign up to receive a daily devotional from www.leadlikejesus.com at: https://www.leadlikejesus.com/resources. Previous devotionals can be found at: https://www.leadlikejesus.com/devotionals#.
SEE ALSO: https://biblehub.com/2_timothy/2-4.htm.
My father-in-law told me years ago that once he retired, it seemed as if he could never get everything done that he needed to do. He marveled at this, and mused that he seemed to have gotten a lot more done when he was working than once he retired.
A side of me can finally understand that. I find that I now share the same testimony in that the more projects that I attend to, the more that seem to crop up requiring my attention. Every one completed seems to spawn two that need consideration.
Of course, the upside of this is that my wife and I have been getting a lot of things done that needed doing in just a few short months. Our former home has been sold. We have moved into your new home. The unfinished portion of our home has now been completed. Furniture and appliances have been acquired. A new roof has been put on. The utilities have been transferred. Our address and contact info have all been updated, as have accounts and memberships. Etc, etc…
Here in our new place, several trees have been cut. Bushes have been trimmed. Stumps have been ground. The landscaping has been refurbished. The lawn has been manicured. Vehicles have been serviced. Tires and batteries have been bought and installed. New tags and licenses have been procured. The garage has been organized. On and on the list goes; and yet, on and on the list grows!
For it truly seems like the more we do, the more we find that needs doing. We agree that we can just never seem to get caught up!
Perhaps it was having had fact that on my mind that explains why a recent daily devotional thought from the folks over at “Lead Like Jesus” so caught my eye. Their August 11, 2020 devotional was aptly titled “Caught Up”. It reads as follows:
Paul warns Timothy not to allow other things to edge out God’s place in his life. Just as Paul said of himself, “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21), his letters urge Timothy to be faithful and focused on ministry. We, too, are called to make God our audience of One, wholeheartedly seeking Him and His purpose. What are you caught up in? Does your heart lead you to exalt God or to edge Him out of your life and leadership?
The devotional includes a verse of scripture from 2 Timothy 2:4: “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”
It then concludes with a simple prayer: “Lord, I need to stop and examine myself. What am I caught up in? Am I caught up in serving You by loving and leading like Jesus? Or have I become entangled in things that usurp Your place in my life? Refocus me this day on exalting You by living for Your approval alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
In the process of transitioning from pastoring a church full-time to semi-retirement in order to become a writer, I have struggled with ever getting “caught up” to the point that I can focus on what I feel called to do. And yet the irony is that I do not ever really need to get “caught up” – at least not in the sense that this insightful little devotional expresses it!
As you can see, I have been significantly challenged by this thought, being reminded in the process that the affairs of daily life must never be allowed to crowd out the very One Whom I am committed to honor and serve in my life and ministry! In that respect, may I never ever truly get “caught up”!
DEVOTIONAL SOURCE: You can sign up to receive a daily devotional from www.leadlikejesus.com at: https://www.leadlikejesus.com/resources. Previous devotionals can be found at: https://www.leadlikejesus.com/devotionals#.
SEE ALSO: https://biblehub.com/2_timothy/2-4.htm.