You can officially retire at the age of 55, while the average life expectancy is 79 years old. Give or take 24 years, every Christian has a decision to make about the twilight years of their life. The overwhelming consensus is simple: put life on cruise control, travel to see the grandkids and the world, and then slowly watch your body break down from years of neglect when you were younger and thought you were invincible. Whatever you do, don’t try anything new, daring anything close to resembling work.
The Old Testament hero of the faith Moses presents us with a completely different way to approach the last chapter in our lives. The book of Exodus quickly rifles through the majority of Moses’ life but spends the bulk of its time chronicling what happened to Moses after he turned 80. In fact, four books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are all dedicated to what happened to Moses and the Israelites after Moses turned 80.
One simple verse in Exodus reminds us that you’re never too old to start your life’s greatest work (Exodus 7:7). The burning bush, the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments all started after Moses turned 80. How incredible is that! If you’re of retirement age and you’re reading this, don’t fall into the trap of assuming that God will never ask you to do anything new or daring once you hang up your work shoes. You have knowledge, wisdom and resources that can literally make a world of difference in the lives of those around you.
If you’re not of retirement age and you’re reading this, make wiser decisions today so that tomorrow you can answer the call if God chooses to start your greatest life’s work after retirement. Take care of your body, eat right, maintain the emotional and mental health needed to achieve great things. Put yourself in a position so that once you hit 80, instead of watching your body break down from years of neglect you can finally get started on your greatest life’s work.