In his sermon and book by the same name, Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper warns of the temptation of squandering our lives away on our own trivial pursuits, while missing the greater purpose that God has for our lives. He highlights the following story from Reader’s Digest magazine about a couple who the world might describe as living the American Dream, but Piper refers to it as a “tragedy.”
“Bob and Penny . . . took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their thirty-foot trawler, playing softball and collecting shells.”
Piper continues, “And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. And I get forty minutes to plead with you: don’t buy it. With all my heart I plead with you: don’t buy that dream. The American Dream: a nice house, a nice car, a nice job, a nice family, a nice retirement, collecting shells as the last chapter before you stand before the Creator of the universe to give an account of what you did: “Here it is Lord — my shell collection! And I’ve got a nice swing and look at my boat!”
He concludes with this admonition, “Don’t waste your life; don’t waste it.”
While it is true that we may reach a point that we have financial means or physical limitations that enable us to “retire” from paid work, as long as we still have breath in our lungs, we still have purposeful work and a call on our lives to accomplish the Great Commission. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are “God’s workmanship, created for good works that He has prepared for us to walk in.” God has entrusted time, talents, and treasure to us as tools to steward the Gospel.
A few months back, I happened to unexpectedly reconnect with a gentleman whom I had not seen in a number of years. He shared that he retired from his job about five years ago and, like Bob and Penny, had been filling his new-found free time with travel and leisure. At some point, he was convicted that he was living too much for himself and for comfort, ease, and security. Rather than ignoring this conviction, he instead prayed and then sought out an opportunity to serve. He began volunteering for a ministry that provides food assistance for kids through the local schools. I was able to introduce him to a couple of ministry partners that has resulted in Gospel collaboration and resource sharing. He reached out to thank me in person for the connections but, more importantly, to share that it was amazing seeing God at work in such intimate ways in his life. The joy on his face and in his voice was priceless.
At SCCF, we continually talk about responsive stewardship – recognizing God’s ownership of all of life and living in a responsive posture before the Spirit with everything God has placed in our hands (time, talent, treasure, relationships, etc.) to carry out His purposes for our lives and the world. My friend’s journey is such a beautiful picture of this, and it is such an encouragement to watch him find joy in listening and responding to the Owner. In God’s economy and echoing Piper’s language, he is truly not wasting his life.