Should I retire early, post COVID-19?

Q: I was contemplating an early retirement before COVID-19 hit, but after being home for months I wonder if it is the best thing to do. — E.R.

A: A pilot and his wife had traveled the world and began to think about a retirement haven, and actually bought a cottage in a place they believed they would enjoy for years. The couple put their house up for sale and began the journey into a new way of life.

They lived it up: long walks beside the crashing waves, the easygoing life of a small town, the freedom to set their own schedules and do whatever they wanted. Everything was exactly the way they had always envisioned it. This was living at its best! By the fifth week, however, unease began to creep over them, and they knew they had made a mistake. Watching the waves crash against the rocks wasn’t enough to fill the void left by their former lives 1,200 miles away.

After their few weeks of rest, frequenting all the restaurants, coffee shops, and stores began to lose its charm. “Is this all we’re going to be doing for the next 20 or 30 years?” they asked. “What were we thinking to leave our children and grandchildren?” They were fortunate that the home they had lived in for 30 years had not yet sold, so they packed their belongings and returned home. The airline executive took on a part-time consulting job with his former company and commented, “I thought I was ready for retirement, but I just didn’t think it through.”

Work is a part of God’s plan for our lives. The Bible says that whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We need to pray about every decision in life because God desires to guide and direct us in all things.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2020 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2020 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.