RETIRING
TO DEATH

Topics: Abundant Life; Apathy; Diligence; Husbands; Leisure; Lifestyle; Meaning; Purpose; Retirement; Self-discipline; Self-indulgence; Television; Wives

References: Ecclesiastes 2:24; Jeremiah 29:11; Philippians 3:13–14; 2 Thessalonians 3:11–12

At a community prayer breakfast, I sat with a group of men who began talking about retirement. The man next to me, who appeared to be in his early fifties, said how much he was looking forward to the end of his career. He talked about a conversation he’d had with his wife that morning.

“When she asked, ‘What are you going to do when you retire?’ I told her, ‘I’m going to sit on the couch and watch TV all day,’ ” he said.

The table was silent, but I couldn’t keep quiet for long. “If you do that, you’ll be dead in a year,” I said.

He looked at me wide-eyed and asked why.

I told him, “If the lack of purpose in your life doesn’t kill you first, your wife will.”

—John Beukema, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania