By John S. QUAISIE
In our desire and determination to live a successful retirement life, we need to create a positive and conducive environment around us. We must free ourselves from issues which could disturb our mind and general wellbeing. We need to maintain a positive mindset which is capable of navigating through the challenges of retirement and repositioning us at a higher level of achievement and fulfillment.
Forgiveness
Living a fulfilled life as a retiree means that the individual is ready to establish and maintain constructive relationships with all manner of people with whom they interact. One of the factors which contribute to a fulfilled life is forgiving others for the wrong they have done to you.
In life, there are situations which could cause us, being human beings, to be angry with others; but the Apostle Paul gives us a very good principle to counteract the negative impact of anger. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul states,
“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” (Ephesians 4:26 NIV).
Therefore, we must free ourselves from the unnecessary burden of carrying the heavy load of hurt imposed on us by others.
In The Lord’s Prayer, our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to forgive others, as we expect God to forgive us.
“…forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Luke 11:4 NLT).
It also means that the individual should be ready to step forward and seek forgiveness from people they have offended. It is even possible that in our active work life – as policy makers, managers, supervisors – we may have made some wrong decisions which have caused harm to others in our organization. Some of such decisions may have led to the suspension or demotion of subordinates. In other cases, some workers may have resigned or may have had their employment terminated as a result of our hostile attitude towards them.
We need to pray to God to forgive us for such misdeeds, so that we can be freed from the guilt and enjoy freedom in our retirement.
Happiness
We should not expect other people to make us happy. Unfortunately, in our interpersonal and group interactions, we seem to hold others responsible for our happiness.
- Many spouses expect their partners to make them happy in their marriage. In situations like this, there are lots of grumbling, complaints and quarrels which create a very unhealthy environment in the home.
- Workers are looking up to management to motivate them on the job, by increasing their salaries and benefits at regular times. The responsibility to self-motivate and add more value to their services – to enable the organization achieve its planned goals and objectives – is often given very little attention by employees.
People in retirement also have a personal responsibility to create the right environment and condition which would make them happy in their relationship with others.
Social Responsibility
Apart from our obligation towards our families, we have a responsibility to our immediate community, our nation and the entire global community. We need to remember that, apart from our parents, some other people have contributed to our success in life. On our life’s journey, we have been assisted in very significant ways by some individuals or groups of people. We need to show our appreciation to those who have helped us in various ways to achieve our goals in life.
Recently, I met a man who carried a different name from that of his family. He explained to me that his father named him after a close friend of his. This friend had motivated him and made very significant financial contribution, which had helped him to complete his university studies. His father therefore decided to name him after this friend who had helped to add more value to his life.
In general, just as we have received assistance in various ways as we grew up, we also need to extend a hand of assistance to society and contribute to help poor and needy people around us. We could offer help to some poor parents to address the educational needs of their children. We could also visit some orphanages and assist them with our resources. Besides, we could partner non-for-profit organizations, and offer financial assistance to needy and deprived communities, to address their critical needs, such as education, health services, potable water, and building skills for managing small-scale businesses.
Spiritual Resource
Retirement is a process that needs a lot of prayer support. With all the challenging situations stated above, it would be of prime importance to commit all the various stages of retirement life to serious prayer. We may plant the seed, but it is The Lord who will make it grow and prosper. The best of our plans could suffer major setbacks, if we do not rely on The Lord.
Proverbs Chapter 19 reminds us,
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is The Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21, NIV).
Therefore, we need to commit our current and future retirement plans to the Lord, asking Him to break through any obstacles and open new doors of opportunities for us. Fortunately, God’s Word assures us:
“… I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).
In the various stages of retirement, we need to appreciate God’s love and care for us. He has protected us from many dangers and guided our steps to our present state. As retired individuals, we can commit ourselves and our families to God, through Jesus Christ, who alone can help us to live a purposeful life in our retirement.
John is a HR/Management Practitioner
Phone/WhatsApp: 0244599628
E-mail: [email protected]
