Whining is Not an Option!

 

A little over three years ago, I retired from a job that I loved.  Although I worked hard to write instructions, organize my files, and do everything I could to make the transition as easy as possible for whoever might take my place.  My planning stopped there.  I had no plans for my future as a retiree.

            A lot of people had suggestions.  Travel was at the top of many people’s lists, but I have no significant other and my closest friends still worked, so I didn’t relish the thought of traveling alone.  I love to read but you can only read so many books.  I thought I might get a part-time job, but several opportunities turned out to be dead ends. So, instead of enjoying my freedom from schedules, stress, and more, I became a “whiner” much like Elijah in I Kings 19.

            After his great victory against the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), he went out into the desert, sat down under a tree, and whined to God that nobody appreciated him.  After God used him to soundly defeat Baal, Elijah thought he was due some respect.  Instead, King Ahab and Queen Jezabel had put a bounty on his head, and he had to flee for his life.  What should have been one of the greatest days of his life had become a nightmare, and so, he sat down and whined.  Fortunately, God wasn’t done with him yet.  God spoke to him in a still, small voice, and told him that He had plans for him.  Elijah, with God’s help, pulled himself out of his depression and was able to accomplish more in service to the Lord.

            Unlike Elijah, I didn’t go out with a bang.  I completed 50 years of serving people through my law practice and my work as the Business Administrator at my church.  When that came to an end, I must admit that, like Elijah, pride was part of the cause of my whining.  Like Elijah, I had lost purpose.  I knew that I still had something to give.  I just didn’t know what it was.  Like Elijah, God wasn’t done with me yet.

            Three years ago, almost to the day, I started the Sun Porch Fellowship.  It is a group of ladies who meet twice a month to study the Word, enjoy a meal together, and play board games.  It has become one of the joys of my life, and it was the beginning of a new purpose.  Out of that beginning, I later added this blog, and soon my first book. I have other books and projects that also keep me busy. My friends laugh now when I say, “I don’t have time”. 

            If you are planning to retire, I urge you to make a plan.  Life without a purpose is futile.  God still has work for each of us to do.  It’s our choice.  We can sit under a tree like Elijah and whine, or we can look for where He wants to use us next.

I Kings 18: 16 – 40

I Kings 19: 1 – 18

            If you would like to start a “sun porch fellowship” in your home and need ideas, please contact me at thesunporchlady@gmail.com


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