Not only has AARP (American
Association of Retired People) been on my case to join them since I turned
fifty, the Medicare Administration has gotten me in their grip, and now I
receive the regular reminders I am old enough to draw my full Social Security
benefits. I don’t mind the help with medical expenses, but I am not ready to
retire and do nothing.
That is not to say I am not
ready to leave this full time job and devote myself to other interests of a
less frustrating nature. I have that proverbial bucket list containing a long
list of goals I want to pursue when I have the time. One of those goals is
embodied in this blog, the urge to write. At one time I sought to make this a
weekly event. That has retreated into a hopefully once a month event. The
writing interest also finds expression on a facebook page, a life log (for my
eyes only), and in generating children’s stories and novels.
Beyond that the bucket list
contains education in the form of earning another master’s degree, learning
Spanish, and getting involved in a local archaeological dig. There are hospital
volunteer responsibilities to assume, getting dirty with Habitat for Humanity,
and becoming more involved in helping others to live better in this next part
of life.
If you are not familiar with
the movie, The Bucket List, I
encourage you to see it before you reach retirement age. Morgan Freeman, one of
my favorite all time actors, and Jack Nicholson are two terminally ill men who
decide to live out the dreams on their bucket lists, things to do before they
“kick the bucket”. Make up your own bucket list to avoid dropping dead from
boredom the day after you retire.
All of this is to say just
doing stuff to keep busy is hardly worth the effort. Watching television
eighteen hours a day can keep you busy. Doing crossword or word search puzzles
eighteen hours a day can keep you busy. Involving yourself in activities that
will make you a better person and most of all make the people around you better
people, those are activities worth putting on a bucket list.
As a follower of Jesus
Christ, I have another motivation. I want to make my Lord glad that he choose
me to be one of his disciples. It is not the personal credit that is important;
rather the knowledge I have pleased the One who has given me so much already.
As the Apostle Paul records
in his letter to the church in Colossae:
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it
with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for
people.
If your priority is to please
the Lord in your work, then it makes no difference in what stage of life you
may be or the difficulty of the task. The important goal is to give God the
best you have. This involves not only the effort you are willing to put into
the job, but also the attitude with which you do it. The world may see none of
what you do or only part of it. The Lord, however, will see all of it, and he
deserves your best.
