Our cultural definition of retirement is a misconception, assuming people have completed their most important work and have earned the right to an autonomous lifestyle. The word “retire” is not what we actually plan to do when we stop working for income.  In his book Afterwork, Joel Malick puts it this way:

“The word ‘retire’ carries an underlying connotation of something that’s old, worn out, not as useful as it once was, and even obsolete. If we delve into a thesaurus, we will find synonyms such as recede, withdraw, retreat, cease, and stop. Is there anything exciting about these words?”

Take a minute to pull out your phone, Google the word “retirement,” and click on the images tab to see the characterization of retirement. You will find pictures of piggy banks, vacations, beach chairs, golf courses, and boats. These may be a piece of our life after work — no one is saying you can’t have fun — but a life of unbalanced diversion is not what we were made to do! Statistics show the most unhappy people in retirement are those who are isolated, sedentary, overemphasizing leisure, and living only for themselves.

There is still work for us to do when we “retire” but from now on we are calling it the encore of life.

No one leaves a concert before the encore. In fact, just about everyone would say the encore is the best part of the show. It’s the grand finale. It’s where the greatest hits are played and where we celebrate the whole evening with a standing ovation of applause and appreciation. The audience always expects an encore and the band is thrilled to deliver one. What if our life after desk is filled with our greatest and most impactful work?

Most people who graduate from full-time work have some common characteristics:

• They have the means to live on passive rather than active income
• They are wiser than they have ever been after a lifetime of experience
• They have time to invest in the people and places they value most
• They have a network of relationships that increases their capacity for influence and impact
• They have an abundance of energy, skills, and resources to contribute to their families, neighbors, and communities.

How do we move away from the assumption that retirement is “my time” to the expectation that the encore will be where God uses me for His purposes and glory? Romans 12:2 gives us this instruction:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The pattern of this world is to live for ourselves and our own plans. The will of God is to love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We never grow too old for that command. God has plans for us in all seasons of life and the encore is where we recommit our remaining days to His purposes.

When we reorient our lives toward a purposeful and meaningful encore, we are asking God to move in us and through us for His glory. That requires an intentional plan and process, and we can help you with that at The Center - Memphis! If you are interested in discovering your encore of life, we would love to meet with you! Please reach out to abeach@thecentermemphis.org to set up a time to talk through your encore.