I relayed yesterday regarding our intense desire to follow what God wills.  Beth posted this comment regarding Mark Brown’s “Middle Class Problem” post on Journey Deeper In2 God’s Word blog.

This has also got me thinking about retirement.  My calling is ministry.  Beth and I’s calling is ministry together.  How that looks like, we have some visions

• We want to have a coffee house to provide a safe/friendly/comfortable/loving environment for college students/young adults
• Grow (Lord willing) the coffee house into a church
• Establish counseling groups
• Establish relational groups
• Have local Christian artists play at the coffee house

BUT!!  We have NO IDEA when God will provide!  However, our calling is still in ministry of the Gospel.  To me, that means that the worldly concept of retirement is wrong.  As a minister of the Gospel (and I pray that it is preaching/teaching/leading full-time) my retirement is going to be when Jesus calls me home!  The world tells us that we should work really hard for forty years, pay off our mortgage/debt, save our money, and then when Medicare kicks in, spend your hard-earned money on yourself, see the world, do what you want to do.  Why?  Well, as the world would tell you–you’ve earned it!

No, for me retirement is going to be when Jesus calls me home for me to hear “Well, done good and faithful servant…”  Sure, this doesn’t mean that saving for injury, inability, etc. is a bad thing or not a good idea.  But I am called to proclaim the Gospel, and I desire and want to proclaim the Gospel as long as God gives me breath and life to do so!