Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The sky may be gloomy and the air may be cold, but it’s an entirely different story when it comes to the condition of my heart after my time with the Living God this morning. We had a little chat about this Season of my life this morning, and it didn’t take long for me to go from feeling a little old and worn-out to feeling excited about my Purpose and Energized to accomplish all of those things He still has for me to do. The trees around this old farm were a sweet reminder to me about how each one of us is in a different Phase of the same Journey. Some have already withered and lost their leaves and others are still hanging in there until the last gush of wind forces them down. What we do with each Season of life comes down to choice…not age. Isn’t that they way you see your life too?

I’m not sure who came up with the concept of “retirement” but it doesn’t come from God. Somehow we’ve put a specific time limit on how long we’ll be forced to work and how much money it will take to STOP, and most people use that timeline to stop making contributions to our world at all. Some people stay so focused on when they can stop working, that they forget to keep Living in the Process. But striving for that time for when the work stops, and the schedule lightens up, and the responsibilities slow down, while we become obsessed with doing as little as possible; is a very dangerous place to Live and it serves no Purpose at all. Nursing homes are filled with people that stopped living long before they die. They lost Purpose and productivity and they left all of the responsibilities of Life for another younger person to handle. But it’s when we stop having a Purpose, when we stop being Productive, when we stop forcing the body filled with aches and pains to keep Moving, when we stop surrounding ourselves with other people whose lives we CAN make a Difference in; that the living has already stopped and we’re just biding our time until we die. It’s ONLY when we comprehend that we don’t exist for our own pleasure (but for His Purpose) that we understand that “retirement” is not on the Agenda at all. Every day that is allotted to us has a Purpose greater than ourselves and you can bet that Purpose doesn’t involve doing as little as possible…EVER.

I’ve been through a few seasons in my life just like everybody else. The first season was wild and reckless and it had no purpose at all beyond myself. I stepped into my Faith in the next season and my first priority through that season was to raise healthy, happy and God-fearing generation. The kids are grown and gone now, but my Purpose in their Lives didn’t end when they left the nest, and it will continue through the next generation. The Spiritual message that my children teach my grandchildren will be reinforced by the example of Faith that I set too, and my prayers on their behalf are like “incense in Heaven” to my God. This is the last Season of my life and slowing down or “retiring” isn’t on my radar screen. I KNOW that this Season has a Purpose that is just as important to the Living God as the other Seasons of my Life and I won’t waste it, that’s for sure. My Responsibility to Change as many lives as I can doesn’t come with a retirement plan.

You’ll find me striving to fulfill the Purpose that God has for me for all the days of my life. You’ll find me being Productive and working hard for as long as I’m able…not just for as long as I’m willing. You’ll find me using my mind and moving my body to do my part to be Strong and Ready and able to Serve no matter how old I am. I can make a Difference in a whole lot of Lives while I’m still here and I won’t stop until He stops me.

Have you put a time limit on your Purpose?