(originally published TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2005)
Why is it that Christians, as a general rule, feel like they must save money for retirement? It seems to me that this is almost a waste of money. Didn't Jesus tell us that we should not worry about tomorrow, because today has enough trouble of it's own. He also tells us that the ravens don't store food up in warehouses, yet they are taken care of, He then asks how much more important are we then birds?
But those examples are not even what got me thinking. I was most moved when I read the story about the old woman who gave two copper coins to the collection at the temple, this equaled about one cent. Jesus told His disciples that she had given more than all the others donors who gave to the treasury, who were putting in large sums of money. How could this be? As He explained to His disciples it was because they gave out of their surplus, their abundance, she gave all that she owned, all that she had to live on. As far as we might assume, she may not have even been able to eat that day. But she would trust in the Lord's provision.
It made me think, how much money do we have in our surplus? How much money do we as Christians have, collectively, that sits in an account somewhere for forty years or more, that does nothing for the Kingdom to which we belong? God never tells us to save money for retirement, as a matter of fact, He never tells us to retire (He does say that if we do not work, we do not eat). I found only one example of retirement in the scripture, and it had to do with Temple priests, but they were retiring from a specific job, not work entirely. This might be a striking contrast to what our modern-day American culture would have us do or believe. But why such a contrast?
Where our treasure is, there to will be our hearts. Does this imply that we with large, or even just moderate retirement savings have our hearts set on the ends of our lives, just those last few years? What about now? What about people in need -NOW? I heard on the radio, true or not, that one dollar can supply the average African with drinking water for an entire year, one dollar! This is the average cost, but still... How much drinking water do we have in our savings? It reminds me of the movie Schindler's List, when he realizes how little he really did. Yes he saved hundreds of Jews form the Holocaust, the impact of his choices will live forever, I am sure. But to Schindler himself, he did not do enough, because he still had a ring on his finger, he still drove a really nice car, and so on. "How many more Jews could that have saved," he wondered.
Saving for retirement seems like good financial planning, it's true, but from who's perspective? If God isn't asking us to save for retirement, if he's not asking us to retire, then who is? I'm not suggesting that it was Satan's idea, not by any means. Well, maybe, but probably not. Think about what happens if we die "pre-retirement." God might say to us, "What's the deal with all that money you had saved up? I didn't intend for you to retire, you're dead now, from your money's point of view. It's totally useless to you now, why didn't you use it to help grow My Kingdom on Earth?"
It just seems inappropriate to some degree. It doesn't sit well in my soul. However, I have not settled my mind on this point yet this essay is just a thought. If you have anything to add, or any points that I might not have considered, please share. Because as it sits, I don't get it.
Thank you for reading!
Scott.
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