Retirement can bring ups and downs, requiring people to adjust as they look for meaning and purpose. Staying close to God is especially important during this season of life.
“We may not be as active as we once were, but we still have faith. No one can take that away from us. So, we have to ask ourselves what we can do with faith,” says the Rev. Phil McGarvey, chaplain at Good Samaritan Society – Loveland Village in Loveland, Colorado.
Here are Phil’s tips on keeping faith at the forefront and remaining close to God.
Let your feelings out
It’s important to express your feelings. The Psalms are great examples of someone being upset about a situation and eventually praising God.
I think there’s a place for grieving your losses and moving on, kind of like having a benediction on that part of your past life. As you retire, you could have a dedication or benediction of your work life.
Thank God for what he’s allowed you to do, and then ask for his help in the next chapter of life. It’s almost like a passing of the torch with God.
As you get older, there will probably be more challenging moments than you’d like to experience. If you can name the things you have wrong with your health and praise God anyway, then there’s a sort of release. Ask God for his strength to go through each situation.
Embrace the serenity prayer
The serenity prayer is appropriate for all stages of life, but it becomes very real when you can’t do what you used to do.
The first part of the prayer is: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
It can be a struggle to accept new limits. But once you do, life opens up. Ask God to grant you serenity, peace and enjoyment of life. When you start to worry, ask God to take care of the worry.
The second part of this prayer is: God, grant me the courage to change the things I can.
Courage is involved in faith. There are a lot of people at our Good Samaritan Society campuses who are still doing things, and maybe they can’t walk or think as fast as they used to, but they have good thoughts and ideas, and they shouldn’t be afraid to share them.
The last part of the prayer: God, grant me the wisdom to know the difference.
It’s a powerful statement because in the Bible, James 1:5 says, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.”
I would encourage people to talk to God when they don’t know what to do and ask for wisdom, guidance and help to humbly follow his lead.
Go back to the basics
One resident at Loveland Village prays over herself. If her hand has pain, she reaches it out and asks God for strength.
Another resident reads and memorizes scripture. She has a list of Bible verses that she references – one from every book of the Bible. This helps her keep her faith alive.
My own mother in her retirement years ramped up her prayer life and would tell me how she was praying for me. She also bought devotional workbooks where she would fill in her answers to the questions.
There are several Bible studies at Loveland Village campus that are led by residents and they’re quite successful. One resident said he purposefully gets involved and signs up for whatever conferences and events he can.
Church attendance can also strengthen faith. Most Society locations have a weekly church service, or residents can drive themselves to church or get a ride.
A lot of people stay close to God through art, poetry or songwriting. These are great outlets if you feel grief, anger or joy.
Lean on loved ones
If your loved ones live close to you, ask them to drive you to church. If your eyesight doesn’t allow you to read anymore, have relatives and friends read Bible passages or other Christian literature to you. Ask them to pray with and for you.
Having someone who can listen and be available is important. Ask them to include you in their plans when it works for both of your schedules.
Also talk to loved ones about your end-of-life wishes. When you have a will and advance directive in place, it brings a lot of peace to you and them.
