One of the most unexpected consequences of my retirement was in the area of spiritual discipline. I happened to be among that generation of pastors that frequently worked a 70 hour week. With few exceptions, I claimed Monday as a day off, although I could hardly claim it as a Sabbath because it was frequently catch up day for family and personal agenda. Knowing that that was a demanding schedule, I had to be very intentional about my spiritual discipline. As I look back on it, I think I did a fairly good job of carving out space for spiritual practices. But when I retired, and didn’t have that framework within which to work, much of my spiritual discipline fell apart. While I continued to pray regularly, the times for regular communing with God for a designated period of time became irregular at best. My quiet meals that I found so helpful during the week while I was working stopped all together. I no longer chose to go on a personal spiritual retreat. Even the personal value that I derived from the study of Scripture in preparation for either preaching or teaching became more erratic because I preached less regularly.
The first thing that I think I have to do in retirement is to review what is my intention and belief about spiritual discipline. It is no longer, as it frequently was during my pastorate, prayer for members and situations in the church I served. I don’t need to pray for wisdom in tense situations within a church. What is true is that my faith continues to be challenged by my situation in life but now the context is different. There were times during my pastorate that I prayed to have the energy to carry on but although retirement continues to have its challenges, they are different.
What is the purpose or intent of our spiritual discipline in this post employment phase of our life? That is what I need to decide.
