Retiring Well E-Book

John, MD Dunlop

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

What Should Retirement Look Like for a Christian? Preparation for retirement requires more than just financial planning. For most people, and especially for Christians, it comes with a host of other considerations—when to retire, where to live, and how to spend one's time. Many find themselves asking, Is there a right way to retire? Drawing from his work with geriatric patients and his own retirement experience, Dr. John Dunlop shares practical strategies for Christians as they approach their retirement years. With Scripture as his guide, he promotes balance between rest and activity—encouraging intimacy with God, service to churches and communities, time with friends and family, and care for one's health. Among the uncertainties of major life change, readers will be equipped to make decisions for their future as they seek to glorify God in their retirement. - Practical: Provides 10 specific strategies for readers who are facing difficult decisions about their approaching retirement, including guiding questions at the end of each chapter - Grounded in Experience: Written by a retired doctor who practiced geriatric medicine - Balanced: Promotes rest and care for one's health while also encouraging ongoing work and service for the kingdom of God - Biblical: Draws from Scripture passages on the topics of work, rest, and aging

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“Dr. Dunlop has a gift for understanding every season in life as an opportunity to glorify God. He shares this gift beautifully in Retiring Well, as he blends his experience as a geriatrician with his knowledge of Scripture to guide us into a richer walk with the Lord during retirement. Clear, biblical, and abounding in both wisdom and compassion, this book offers encouragement and practical advice to guide us toward a retirement rooted not in the diversions of the world but in the true rest of Christ. Return to this book again and again to dwell upon Dr. Dunlop’s words, grow from his insights, and praise the Lord that while our careers may end, our work for him never does.”

Kathryn Butler, MD, author, Between Life and Death; Glimmers of Grace; and The Dream Keeper Saga

“In Retiring Well, Dr. Dunlop has given us a clear, well-organized guide to retirement. He is unafraid of sensitive topics and applies Scripture thoughtfully, including familiar passages that come to life in the context of retiring. Dunlop provides common-sense ideas that I had not thought of. Once you read it, you may well find yourself writing a new to-do list—I did.

David Wilson, Staff Member, Cru Ireland

“While many people look forward to retirement, entering this season might feel as unsettling as traveling to a foreign country where you don’t know the language, customs, or terrain. Whether you’re looking forward to retirement or already there, Retiring Well is a retirement roadmap packed with practical strategies for determining when to retire, identifying our purpose, finding balance between rest and activity, and much more. Dr. Dunlop’s generous use of Scripture lays a foundation for the why of his counsel. This book will help readers sharpen their priorities for every area of life.”

Sharon Betters, coauthor, Aging with Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture

“Retiring Well is a practical, well-structured guide to living your life in retirement and an excellent resource to help all of us plan for and respect the closing chapters in our life’s story. It maps out logical, strategic steps so we can grow stronger in the one wellness that matters the most: our spiritual wellness. I can attest to the relevance of his wisdom to anyone anywhere in the world wishing to prepare for a rich and fruitful retirement in service to the Lord. The book is colored by Dr. Dunlop’s life experiences and stories and enriched with an abundance of biblical references, so read this book with your Bible nearby.

John Povey, Director, Here to Eternity, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa

“As one who has just begun this phase of life’s journey, I am profoundly grateful for this book. The marriage of a comprehensive knowledge of Scripture, a lifetime of sober theological reflection, and decades of compassionate practice in general and geriatric medicine have made John a wise guide for those who need a mature voice to help us as we enter this chapter of our lives. John’s counsel is, on the one hand, eminently practical (practicing balance while brushing your teeth) and, on the other, desperately important (more freedom to pray and time to nurture fellowship with Jesus Christ). The ten strategies outlined in Retiring Well will serve the serious Christian as he or she seeks faithfulness through the years of retirement. As with John’s first three books, I not only enthusiastically recommend Retiring Well, but I will be using it!”

Mike Malone, Minister to Senior Adults, Independent Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee

“Similar to the Dunlops, we have recently made a huge change and ‘retired’ from what we did for more than forty years. John has synthesized wisdom drawn from his years of following Jesus, his gerontological practice, others’ research, and the word of God. John addressed many of the questions we considered as well as revealed others we still must. His gentle manner comes across in print as he challenges readers to look at retirement in a countercultural way, for the sake of God’s glory, which he affirms will prove to be for our good. This would be valuable reading for people approaching retirement as well as for those who love them!

Jackson and Donna Crum, Former Lead Pastor, Park Community Church, Chicago, Illinois; and his wife, Donna

“So many people stumble their way through retirement. They run out of time to put to use most of what they learn through trial and error. What a gift to have much of that experience gathered here in this wonderfully practical book by John Dunlop. Anyone retired or expecting to retire someday will be greatly blessed by reading it.”

John F. Kilner, Professor Emeritus, Bioethics and Contemporary Culture, Trinity International University; author, Dignity and Destiny

Retiring Well

Other Crossway Books by John Dunlop

Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia

Finishing Well to the Glory of God: Strategies from a Christian Physician

Wellness for the Glory of God: Living Well after 40 with Joy and Contentment in All of Life

Retiring Well

Strategies for Finding Balance, Setting Priorities, and Glorifying God

John Dunlop, MD

Retiring Well: Strategies for Finding Balance, Setting Priorities, and Glorifying God

Copyright © 2022 by John T. Dunlop

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Kevin Lipp

First printing 2022

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-7891-5 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7894-6 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7892-2 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-7893-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dunlop, John, 1947– author.

Title: Retiring well : strategies for finding balance, setting priorities, and glorifying God / John Dunlop, MD.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021036124 (print) | LCCN 2021036125 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433578915 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433578922 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433578939 (mobipocket) | ISBN 9781433578946 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Retirees—Religious life. | Older Christians—Religious life. | Retirement—Religious aspects—Christianity.

Classification: LCC BV4596.R47 D86 2022 (print) | LCC BV4596.R47 (ebook) | DDC 248.8/5—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021036124

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021036125

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2022-03-18 04:08:52 PM

To my children, Jamie, Joan, Rob, and MyunHwa,

and my grandchildren, CJ, Lucas, Carissa, Judson, Ambrose, John, and Howard.

I pray that you live your lives with a passion for the glory of God.

Contents

Introduction: Your Opportunity to Start Fresh

Strategy 1: Determine Your Priorities

Strategy 2: Retire at the Right Time

Strategy 3: Retire in the Right Place

Strategy 4: Take Care of Yourself

Strategy 5: Love God

Strategy 6: Make Good Friends

Strategy 7: Enjoy and Strengthen Your Family

Strategy 8: Avoid Destructive Pitfalls

Strategy 9: Get Busy

Strategy 10: Be Flexible, Adaptable, and Resilient

Recommended Reading

General Index

Scripture Index

Introduction

Your Opportunity to Start Fresh

Thinking about retirement? Great! I have been too. My working years have been wonderful, but very busy. Now it’s exhilarating to think of being freed from the incessant activity and weight of responsibility I’ve carried. At the same time, the thought of retirement is somewhat intimidating. Will life after work have as much pleasure and meaning? Will I be bored?

I suspect you’ve been dealing with these same questions—and my prayer is that reading this book will help you toward a great retirement.

As a geriatrician, I’m a physician who specializes in the care of seniors. I frequently hear complaints from working people—especially those who follow Jesus—about the lack of balance in their lives. You may be one of those. There’s much you would love to do and feel God wants you to do, but work stands in the way. You want to spend more time each day communing with God and doing good for others.

The good news is that retirement gives you the opportunity to start fresh and accomplish these things. You’ll finally be able to live according to your God-given priorities and find the balance you crave.

Finding Balance in Rest and Activity

The Bible gives us two complementary emphases that are applicable to our lives in our later years: rest and work. Our challenge is to do both while keeping them in balance.

First is the privilege of rest:

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. (Ps. 116:7)

Be still, and know that I am God. (Ps. 46:10)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)

Rest, in this context, is not sitting around doing nothing, but taking time to pull away from the busyness of life, come to Jesus, enjoy him, and be satisfied.

Second is our need to keep active:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12–14)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor. 9:24–27)

Let’s think about these two options—resting in Jesus and straining to serve him. Which should we emphasize?

As I ask that question, I think of the two sisters Mary and Martha, who were friends of Jesus. You likely know the story.

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42)

I suspect that both Mary and Martha loved Jesus and wanted to please him. Martha went the road of activity; Mary chose to rest as she sat quietly with Jesus, absorbing his teaching. Jesus doesn’t accuse Martha of wrong priorities. In fact, he probably enjoyed the meal she prepared. But he did commend Mary for her choice.

Mary and Martha illustrate the same tension I feel in retirement. Do I prioritize rest and enjoyment of Jesus, or is my time and energy consumed in service to God and others? The answer clearly ought to be both. The challenge is to keep them in balance.

Retiring Well is all about setting our priorities in retirement, keeping them in balance, and living according to them.

Now that I’m retired, I’m still asking the same question I asked in grade school: What should I do when I grow up? My younger friends hear that with surprise, and ask what I mean. But people of my vintage know that we have a lot of growing yet to do. We have goals to reach, and we harbor character faults that need to be dealt with. But let’s face it: time may be short. This may be our last chance to grow up.

We all have heroes whom we admire and want to be like. Joe and Jan are two of mine. They’re a couple in their midseventies, married for fifty years. They’ve both been retired for three years. Up early every morning, they individually read and study the Scriptures as they enjoy spending time with the Lord. Then they have breakfast and pray together. Each day of the week they focus on a specific subject for prayer: on Monday, their family; Tuesday, local missions; Wednesday, neighbors; Thursday, government; Friday, their friends; Saturday, world evangelism; and Sunday, their church and its leaders.

After prayer—and weather permitting—it’s off for their morning two-mile walk (often combined with their prayer time). By midmorning they get into their main activity for the day. Three days a week they’re at the local homeless shelter preparing and serving lunch. The other days involve a more spontaneous service project of some kind, whether to their family, church, or community.

They usually pause during the early afternoon for their major meal of the day. Some days they eat out by themselves or with friends and take advantage of the lunch specials.

The later afternoons and evenings are typically spent reading or visiting with neighbors or friends. One night each week they reserve for a date—a movie, concert, or play—and another night is spent with their home group from church. These are their closest friends, and they’re diverse in age, ethnicity, education, and socioeconomic background.

Jan and Joe are spending their time well, living life in balance, impacting their worlds, bringing glory to God, and having a wonderful time doing it. You can see why they’re my heroes.

My Sources

At the time of this writing, I am seventy-three. I’ve been in medicine for fifty-one years, practicing geriatrics most of that time. I’ve learned about retirement from four principal sources.

First, I’ve spent years enjoying the study of the Bible. Here I’ve learned some of God’s values and priorities. I’m determined to spend my retirement in a way that reflects these values. I’ll quote a lot of Scripture throughout this book, and I trust they’re not just proof-texts supporting my own thinking, but representative of “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). As you encounter the numerous Scripture passages on these pages, focus on these words from God more than on what I say. That will make your reading more valuable.

Second, I’ve watched many of my patients retire. I’ve seen some do it well; they’re happy and have a sense of fulfillment about changing their worlds. Others have retired poorly; they’re focused on themselves and their own happiness and comfort. They’re miserable, and they make everyone around them miserable. Frankly, their retirement years are wasted. I’ve seen all this frequently enough that I know I must approach retirement cautiously. I include many stories in this book. Most are combinations of different people’s experiences to illustrate my point; some are pure fiction.

Third, I’ve been reading as much as I can of both Christian and secular literature to prepare for my own retirement. I’ve learned considerable wisdom and practical tips that I’ll share with you. Many of these books are listed in the back of this book.

Fourth, I’ve learned from my own failures, and I continue to learn. As you read some of what I’ve learned, you may get the impression that I have it all together. That’s far from the truth. It’s much easier to dish out good-sounding advice than it is to actually live it. I confess that some of my failures are due to ongoing sin in my life. For those, I ask God to forgive me and to “create in me a clean heart, . . . and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). Some of my failures are due to sins I don’t even recognize, and I need to pray,

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting! (Ps. 139:23–24)

You’ll find that this is a very personal book. I will be sharing from much of my own experience. God has richly blessed me. I was raised in a stable Christian home, and I enjoyed great privilege in my upbringing and education. God gave me a wonderful wife, and we’ve enjoyed almost fifty years of happy marriage. My two sons follow Jesus, have godly wives, and are raising their children well. My medical practice has blessed me with opportunities to serve as well as financial security. You may have been blessed differently throughout your life. Nevertheless, I trust that I’m not being arrogant in hoping that many of the strategies I present here are applicable regardless of your socioeconomic, educational, marital, or financial background and situation. I trust that reading these strategies will be worthwhile, whatever your life is like.

If I were to share only my own wisdom, it wouldn’t be worth my time to write or your time to read. Having been given better sources than my own wisdom, I pray that God will bless you in applying these thoughts to your own life, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I want this book to be practical. Therefore, I’m organizing each chapter around a specific strategy to implement. I hope you can turn them into action plans for your own retirement. Before I get into those specific strategies, let’s look at three prerequisites for a good retirement.

The first is financial planning. Whether you’re retiring with a comfortable nest egg that will provide your needs far beyond your life expectancy, or you’re living month to month, paying off loans, and eagerly awaiting each month’s Social Security check, you still must do careful planning. This is an area where others have far more expertise than I do. One of the best resources is Chris Cagle’s Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God. (See the Recommend Reading section on page 169 for more excellent books about finances). Hopefully, you’ve already begun your financial planning, because the sooner you begin the better.

The second thing you must do is talk to other spiritually mature friends who have retired (especially those who have retired recently). Ask their advice about how to get started. What have they learned the hard way? What advice would they give you?

The third activity you must engage in long before you retire is prayer. As with all other ventures in life, when it comes to retirement, you must make a disciplined effort to seek God’s wisdom and guidance. If you’re married, you should be praying about this with your spouse. Pray that you’ll learn what God values and what his priorities are for you. Then begin to live by those values and priorities long before you retire.

Biblical Foundations

Scripture says very little about retirement. In fact, retirement for the average worker was unknown in biblical times. People stayed at their job as long as possible, till they died. Priests were an exception, who, according to Numbers 8:25, were to stop doing the hard physical work of preparing sacrifices at age fifty. They were then assigned to less physically demanding guard duty.

But Scripture gives us many principles for coming to the end of life well. Successfully navigating this season of life requires careful attention to these. Allow me to summarize some of this teaching to prime your thinking. I’ll develop these themes further in later chapters.

God is with us to help us through our later years.

Even to your old age I am he,

and to gray hairs I will carry you.

I have made, and I will bear;

I will carry and will save. (Isa. 46:4)

Old age is the time to flourish and be productive.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

They are planted in the house of the Lord;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

They still bear fruit in old age;

they are ever full of sap and green. (Ps. 92:12–14)

We should pursue and enjoy God at all stages of life.

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God. (Ps. 84:1–2)

God has work for us to do for him during our senior years.

I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:2–5)

Jesus himself stands at the finish line of life’s race to welcome us home and reward us for a life well lived. This should motivate us to finish well.

I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Tim. 4:6–8)

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb.12:1–2)

His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt. 25:21)

To summarize, the Bible presents us with a picture of seniors keeping active, flourishing, contributing, and setting an example for younger persons till the day God calls us to our eternal reward. These truths should encourage us to love Jesus more, and to use our retirement for his glory.

The Plan of This Book

This book is organized around ten different strategies toward a retirement that brings glory to God. These strategies will set your agenda.

1. Determine your priorities.

2. Retire at the right time.

3. Retire in the right place.

4. Take care of yourself.

5. Love God.

6. Make good friends.

7. Enjoy and strengthen your family.

8. Avoid destructive pitfalls.

9. Get busy.

10. Be flexible, adaptable, and resilient.

Don’t rush though your reading, but pause frequently, think carefully, and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you. Planning to retire to the glory of God is not easy. The questions at the end of each strategy will help you evaluate where you are and what changes you need to make.

I trust this will allow you to see that retiring in a way that brings glory to God isn’t something you’ll be able to do on your own. You’ll need God’s wisdom and help. Pause for more extended prayer as you finish reading each strategy. I give you sample prayers, but take time to pray your own. Ask God to show you how to fulfill each strategy, and then write down your specific thoughts.

Questions to Ponder

1.  What gets you excited about retirement?

2.  What makes you hesitant about retiring?

3.  Who among your recently retired friends should you be asking about their experience and suggestions?

4.  What specific prayer requests should you share with others?

5.  What are you determined to do or to become in your retirement?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are good, you are wise, and you have blessed me in ways far beyond anything I deserve. Now you’re freeing me from the daily need to work at my job. I’m grateful for my years of employment. While working, I’ve been living within my comfort zone, but I haven’t been able to do many of the things you or I would want. Now I’m entering a whole new world that’s uncomfortable, and I’m grateful I can face it together with you. Allow me to live my life in balance, loving you and loving others. Guide my dreams, plans, and decisions about how I spend my time. Teach me your priorities so that I may live in retirement the way that glorifies you most. In addition to giving you glory I know that will give me great joy and satisfaction. I pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Strategy 1

Determine Your Priorities

Sid loved sports. His year had three seasons: baseball, football, and basketball. A widower, he was seventy-eight and retired, and he had some game to watch three or four times a week. When possible, he attended games at the local college. He loved to cheer his team, especially when they got near the playoffs. All these games were his highest priority. Sid valued sports more than anything else.

I wouldn’t want to discredit the value of sports, but I do wonder how Sid will look back on his later days from the perspective of eternity.

Sid teaches us the important lesson that the success of our retirement depends on what we love and make our priority. Seventeenth-century Puritan Henry Scougal wrote, “The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.”1