While I could just wander into this new phase of my life and see what happens, I don’t think that is a healthy idea. My whole life has been purposeful, in response to God’s call. I am aware that when I first sensed God’s call in my life at around 11 years of age that my life took on meaning. I had lost my father a couple of years earlier, we had moved into a small town and I had begun to make new friends, but I was rather insecure. However vague my sense of call was, a major impact on me was that I was connected with God and even if I didn’t understand what it all meant, my life had meaning. It gave me a sense of dignity.
My career, however stressful it was at times, still had meaning and satisfaction. I was contributing to something beyond myself. There were reasons to fight the battles and expend the effort. Even now, as I look back on my ministry, there is a sense of satisfaction that I was privileged to be part of something worthwhile and meaningful. I was counseling with a younger clergy friend today who is going through a stressful time and he asked me, “How did you survive?” I think a major part of the answer was that I continued to believe that I was called by God and that my efforts were part of something bigger than myself.
Now I enter a new phase of life. That professional part known as a career is now over. So what does the rest of my life, no matter how long or short, hold for me. I am not good at just drifting so I need to have a sense of purpose but that purpose will be entirely different from the productive side of a career. To discover my new purpose in life, I think I need to enter into some new disciplines. That is what I want to explore next week.
