7 Sins That May Hinder God's Plan for You in Your RetirementSample

3. Being DISCONTENT hinders God’s Plan for Your Retirement

While PRIDE or WORRY may rank as the biggest risks in retirement, let us not overlook the sin of being DISCONTENT.

You may have had a picture of what your retirement was going to look like, and now that you are here, things are not quite as you imagined them to be.

Maybe there is less going on than you had hoped. Or perhaps you don’t have the ability or the means to do all that you planned. Or, worse yet, your friends seem to really be living life to the full, and yet here you are with fewer friends, less activity, and everything is just a bit of a letdown. Especially when compared to others, or even compared to your own plans.

In the Old Testament, God gave his people the Ten Commandments to live by, and as Christians, we still seek to follow each of those today. Or, at least we try to.

Although not one of the Ten Commandments, the following might be a good candidate for the 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not compare.” Or maybe it would be a good prelude to the 10th commandment: “Thou shall not covet.”…

Social media, the internet, advertising on television – everything seems to be telling us that everyone else is having the time of their life, yet when you look at your life, it doesn’t quite seem to stack up, does it?

“Thou shalt not compare” might be the best way to beat the sin of being DISCONTENT. God wants us to live life to the full, with joy each day. But, if you are DISCONTENT then that becomes very difficult, doesn’t it? And, when you’re DISCONTENT, your focus shifts inward on how you can improve your situation, not on what God may have planned for you.

The cure for DISCONTENTMENT is to draw closer to God and to get busy with “good works” that God Himself has already prepared for you to do (ref Eph. 2:10). And, now that you’re retired, you actually have the time to do them too. :)

What happens when you get busy with God’s Plan for your life? Your focus shifts from watching others and feeling bad about your situation, to helping others (directly or indirectly) and recovering the joy that God intends for you!

A recap of today’s Bible verses is a good start to recovering from your condition of being DISCONTENT:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have – Hebrews 13:5a

But godliness with contentment is great gain…. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. – 1 Timothy 6:6,9

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.– Philippians 4:12-13

With this in mind, put away your external influences, draw close to God, and replace your DISCONTENT with JOY as you seek to serve Him.