RETIREMENT – LIFE’S SABBATH
By: Frank E. Fain, PhD
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2: 27 – 28 NIV
Over the years there have been many definitions of retirement offered in print. Today I would like to add my ideas on this subject. To me “Retirement is Life’s Sabbath”. It is God’s gift to modern humanity so we can find peace, purpose, resolution and satisfaction with life.
One definition of Sabbath is “to cease, stop what one is doing in order to focus attention on more meaningful or important things.” A Sabbath is more than just resting. A true Sabbath is always “from something, for something, to something.” (Goodwin)
In academia and industry people take Sabbaticals FROM regular work duties, FOR renewal, study, and the acquisition of new skills, TO become a better worker, teacher or leader. Although Sabbaticals do involve some leisure time, their primary purpose is not leisure but to give time for a person to recharge, renew, reequip for a new kind of productivity.
According to the Biblical record one could say one seventh of life is to be a Sabbath. Using this principle one could view life in the following seven stages:
· Life’s orientation – Birth to age 10
· Occupational Preparation – Ages 11 – 22
· Occupational Orientation – Ages 23 – 30
· Occupational Mastery – Ages 31 – 40
· Occupational Excelling – Ages 41 – 60
· Occupational Closure - Age 60 to retirement date
· Occupational and Life’s Sabbath – Retirement date to death
If our retirement years are to be Life’s Sabbath and a Sabbath is more than just rest, relaxation and leisure, then one may ask: “What is one to do on this sabbatical?” Perhaps the Sabbath activities of our Jewish friends may give us an answer to this question.
Although no two families observe the Sabbath identically there are some common practices that we can apply to Life’s Sabbath. First they take a break FROM their regular jobs, household duties and chores, FOR corporate and family worship of God. There is a fellowship meal with family members to share the family heritage/stories, for fellowship and to reconnect with each other. Finally on the Sabbath each individual is allowed time for private prayer, reflection, personal refocusing on the important things of life. In short the Sabbath is a time to cease regular work to allow a person time to work on her/his relationship with God, family and self.
So applying this to the concept of “Retirement as “Life’s Sabbath”, retirement is God’s gift to humanity so each person can cease their life’s occupation to have the time to work on our vertical relationship with God, our horizontal relationship with family, friends and community, and finally to work on our internal relationship – celebrating being God’s unique child and becoming all He wants us to be.
Over the next few columns I will be share more details of how we can use Life’s Sabbath – Retirement to improve our vertical, horizontal and internal relationships and discover personal peace, purpose, and resolution and life satisfaction.
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