But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Do you know people who can’t wait till they retire, so not only can they “check out” of work, but kind of “check out” of life too? To encourage older adults to make the most of all of their lives, Ken Blanchard and Morton Shaevitz wrote Refire! Don’t Retire: Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life. They urge their readers to “Refire!” emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually.
Being self-centered comes naturally to most of us, so it takes deliberate effort to focus on others and on the Almighty. The authors write: “No matter what path you follow, unless your spiritual side is strong, your ego will get in the way and you’ll think is life is all about you. (…) One way I think about it is EGO versus God or Spirit. EGO stands for “Edging God Out.” (…)
“So your performance varies and people’s opinion of you fluctuates. When you base your self-worth on outside influenced like these, every day is like walking on eggshells, because how you feel about yourself if totally dependent on outside circumstances and other people.”
“[However] When you believe you are loved unconditionally by God, your self-worth does not depend on people, places, or things, (….) But if you get into your EGO — which can also stand for Everything Good is Outside– you exhaust yourself by searching for your self-worth out there somewhere.”
The Bible tells us to seek God first, and He will give us all we need. Are you resting in a relationship with a loving God, or are you always seeking approval and affirmation from others, and letting your EGO “Edge God Out”?
S.G.D.
