How to Know When God Wants You to Retire
How to know when God wants you to retire is an interesting question. It’s also one I’ve been asked a few times. Let me share a story before we dive into my thoughts on this topic.
I know a gentleman who retired in his early 60s. His wife passed away, so he was a widower with three adult children. He decided to retire because his work was increasingly frustrating, and the call to do something better was stronger. He was financially able to make a move and decided to retire.
He was very tech-savvy, working with video production and things like that. He spent time on Sundays helping his church with their video technology. He also spent a lot of time traveling the country and the world, shooting videos for mission trips.
During these trips, he would capture his experiences, assist mission groups with technology, and create videos to share with churches or global organizations. He found a purpose in life and retirement.
I worked with him for about ten years after he made that decision. Every day, he was excited to get up, pack up, and head to “work” because he was making an impact. He felt that his retirement came when God wanted it to. So, how do you know when God wants you to retire?
Feeling at Peace
If you’re feeling worried, anxious, or unsettled, consider taking another look at retiring. Many clients tell me that they came to a feeling of peace that it was the right time to retire. Feeling peace is an essential piece of making this decision.
Consider what is causing your feelings. Is it financial? Social? Identifying the trigger can help determine if you have more work to do or if you simply need to find your purpose.
Aside from being at peace with your decision, a few more things may help you answer the question of how to know when God wants you to retire.
First, I’m not a Pastor, but I am a Christian. I’ve read the Bible a couple of times which by no means makes me a theologian. However, I have been a financial planner for over ten years and have worked with many Christians who are considering retirement.
Ideas About Retirement
My first suggestion is to consider the general idea of retirement from a biblical worldview.
The Bible is pretty quiet on the topic of retirement. There are some Old Testament passages that refer to the Levitical priests. Generally, they retired around age 50 from the priesthood. They were then taken care of for the remainder of their lives.
I don’t know that this idea necessarily translates well into modern-day society. The resounding idea of retirement now is that you work until your mid-60s and then enjoy the remainder of your life leisurely.
Modern retirement ideas are possibly slightly at odds with the biblical concept of retirement or what God calls us to do. We’re always to be on a mission, right? This idea means whether you’re working for a company or not, you should be doing your assignment.
From a biblical standpoint, retiring is just a turning of the page. I think of it like this. God wants us to be at work for His Kingdom, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. Whether you clock in at a company or live off your investments, Social Security, or pension, a Christian needs to define what God calls you to in this season of your life.
Maybe it’s
- Helping out with your kids or grandkids more
- Serving at your church with youth or some other ministry
- Doing local outreach
Maybe, like my friend, it’s traveling on mission trips that go into places and proclaim the gospel. There are many things you could choose to do. That’s not to say you can’t have fun or take a vacation. God gave you this life, and He wants you to enjoy it!
Enjoy life, but at the same time, remember that God wants us to be on a mission and use the time and resources he’s given us to bring Him glory. Answering the question of how to know when God wants you to retire involves having the proper framework of what you mean by “retirement.”
Retirement is a confusing word from a biblical standpoint because God never wants us to stop going about our work. We’re to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth. Think about your next mission and what God is calling you to do.
I could go on for pages about this, and I’m sure theologians have covered it more thoroughly than I ever would. The idea is to provide a baseline understanding of what retirement is and how it looks from a biblical worldview. With that, the second step becomes clear.
Prayer
If you’re thinking about retiring, you must take it to God in prayer. We have to pray for God’s guidance and God’s will. He says he’s a light unto our path. He will guide our path or direction.
As you’re trying to discern how to know when God wants you to retire, go to Him in prayer and ask. You don’t always know the whole vision, but He will show you the next step. He may even give you a specific answer.
If you don’t have an answer, it may just mean to wait. Or perhaps it means that God wants you to decide what is right and will be behind you to honor your decision.
Prayer is the key to many things in our life. Have your friends, family, or pastor pray with you because retiring is a big decision. Ask God for guidance and wisdom.
Retiring is a significant moment in your life. It’s also not an irreversible one. If you decide to retire a little early and realize after six months you want to return to work; it’s okay. Pray about it.
What’s the Calling?
A crucial question to ask yourself when thinking about retirement is this. Are you retiring from something or to something?
Are you
- Frustrated at work
- In a stressful environment
- Bogged down in red tape, and you’ve had enough
It’s okay and understandable to get away from that. Before you decide to retire to get away from something, be clear about what you’re retiring to.
Leisure time and vacations should be part of your retirement mix. However, God does not want us to sit and watch TV all day. He wants us to be productive. Think about what your calling is. What has the Holy Spirit laid upon your heart to do?
Relationships in Retirement
We’re answering the question of how to know when God wants you to retire, but there is a secondary question as well. What does your spouse think about you retiring? Specifically, how your retirement might affect your relationship with your spouse.
Studies show that it goes one of two ways. If you’re both working and one spouse stops, tension can arise in the relationship. One spouse has much more time on their hands while the other does not.
Having one person with the freedom of time and the other needing approval to miss work can be a source of discord. It can cause friction when one spouse is free to go and do things, and the other is not. Trying to retire at the same time is typically ideal.
What if your spouse hasn’t been working and you were the breadwinner? It can also cause strain on the relationship due to differing schedules or now having time on your hands but needing to figure out what to do with it.
Relationships have been proven to be a big part of having a happy and fulfilling retirement. God calls us to love Him and love others. We have to have the “others” portion as well. Having relationships with not only your spouse but also your family, friends, and the community is essential.
Talk to your spouse to listen to their thoughts about your retirement. Are they on board with the idea or feeling anxious about it? Also, cultivate friendships outside of work before you retire to help you transition to retirement.
Finances
We’ve now reached the topic of finances. How to know when God wants you to retire probably lines up closely with your ability to provide for yourself and your family. It’s just a reality that you must be financially prepared to retire.
God tells us to provide for ourselves and provide for our families. We all have moments of faith where we must trust Him to provide. There’s this tension within the Bible of being a prudent steward of the resources that God gives us but also having faith to trust him if those resources go away.
I think it’s still prudent to know, understand, and make plans because God directs us to be good stewards of our resources. When it comes to retirement, have you saved well? Have you invested well?
One thing that I wrestle with is the idea of saving money for retirement. Retiring is not necessarily a biblical mandate. What has brought me peace is knowing there are lots of stories of men and women throughout the Bible who had the resources to support God’s work in the kingdom.
There’s a difference between saving and investing. Piling up cash in a bank account is one way to set up your retirement finances. Investing in companies through stocks, mutual funds, or even real estate is a more strategic approach to being financially able to retire.
From a financial standpoint, can you retire and still support yourself and your family now and in the future? Consider the cost of things like
- Aging
- Health Care
- Inflation
How to Know When God Wants You to Retire
How to know when God wants you to retire is difficult for anyone to give a direct answer to. Each of us has a different situation and a unique calling. Use these five things to help you sort through whether your desire to retire is your timing or God’s.
- What’s the idea of retirement in the Bible, and how do you define retirement?
- Pray about it. Ask God to give you direction, and ask others to pray for you.
- What’s your calling? Don’t just retire from something but retire to the next thing.
- Relationships. What does your spouse think? If you’re unmarried, talk to a trusted friend or confidant about your decision.
- Consider your financial situation. Are you able to retire? God may be calling you to retire, but if you aren’t financially able, you may need to reevaluate for the time being.
The decision to retire can be both exciting and overwhelming. If you need some guidance or have more questions, I’m happy to help.
We can meet virtually or in person if you live in the Central Florida area. Please email me at kyle.newell@newellwm.com, call/text at 407.337.7128, or schedule a meeting at Schedule – Newell Wealth Management (newellwm.com)
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