On Retirement…
In scripture there is no word for retirement. We are all called to continue working for God throughout our lives. We are all called to find ways we can, through the gifts we are given by God’s Holy Spirit, to bring God’s Kingdom here on earth. And yet, we all do retire at some point for our worldly work. However, we don’t retire from the Kingdom work of God. Which brings me to my point, which you may have heard by now: Through much discernment and prayer, I am going to retire from full time pastoral work. It is time. I have loved my tenure here at Grace. I have loved all of you so very much and have enjoyed being part of your journey. You have supported me. You have loved me. You have given me wings to fly. I Thank you for your generosity and your prayers.
But now, I am going to retire as of July 1, 2025. I am not retiring from doing the work that God has called me toward. While God has clearly let me know that my time in pastoral ministry has come to an end, my time as a Spiritual Director is just beginning. I am so excited about the future and the work God has for me. I will graduate with my spiritual direction certification in May, and I will retire in June and then the fun can begin.
But first, a pause. Just as Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days before beginning his ministry, I will be heading to Ohio for three months to relax and just be. Ohio has been and always will be a place of respite. Ohio soil runs deep in my veins, and it is there that the stress of the world falls away. So, before jumping back in, God is calling me to rest. (And redo floors in my get-a-way home away from home in Galion, Ohio. Such is the nature of a house built in 1890. It needs TLC and floors where you can’t see the basement.)
And I will need the pause because God is also calling me to a big work. Being a spiritual director means to hold safe, sacred space for people to speak out loud their story of God and how God is working in their life. Or maybe they need to speak about how God is silent, and they are wondering why. Quite frankly, it could be any one of a hundred things in this world that have come between an individual and their relationship to God. What they need, is someone who is willing to sit with them and listen. To ask good questions. To pay attention. To just be with them as they wrestle or cry or yell. And they know it is all ok to do all those things and more. Why? Because they also know they are in a safe space where they will not be judged, they will not be criticized, their stories will just be held, as they speak their words, their truth.
I am also excited to see how I can volunteer at Grace, my home church for almost 40 years, and see what Godly mischief I can get up to as a volunteer. And as I reflect on all this, I realize I will have come full circle because I started out as a volunteer when I joined the church in 1986, and I will end as a volunteer. What a lovely journey it has been and will continue to be. I have been blessed and even more importantly, God has been so faithful through it all.
So, yes, I am retiring from full time ministry, but I am not retiring from the work God continues to call me toward. And you know what? Life does not get any more exciting than that.
Peace,
Beth