Retirement: Top 5 Challenges in the First Years ਨਮੂਨਾ

Challenge 5:
Hesitation to Try Something New

As time passes since your last working day, you settled into a rhythm. You will know your days. You will have new schedules, more relaxation and new habits. The pressure is off, the expectations are low, and to be honest – it’s quite ok, it’s even rather more comfortable than the old working days.

So when someone suggests trying something new, your first reaction might be… resistance, as in:

“Why would I want to do that? It’s all going well for me just as it is, thank you very much.”

But inside you know that maybe this is God calling – this is what He wants you to engage in, to get busy with something meaningful that helps bring His Kingdom to earth and glorifies Him – just as He has planned for you.

So when someone comes asking you to join a ministry team that uses unfamiliar technology, you hesitate. Or, when someone suggests you take a class to sharpen a skill you never needed before, you delay. Or, maybe you just don’t want the work of meeting new people, finding a way to fit in – it all seems like too much effort.

It seems so much easier to stick with what you know. To do the things you’ve always done, with the people you already trust. Starting over – new people, new systems, new learning curves – feels like something better suited to someone younger, someone with more energy, someone else.

But don’t miss this: God will call you to step out in faith. To expand your horizons with Him. To reflect His goodness to others in ways that you have not done before. And that quiet resistance, that hesitation? Well, it might be the enemy trying to derail the goodness that God has planned for you. Remember this verse?

“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Notice the word “do.” The verse never references good works that you might “consider.” Neither does it give us the option to just settle into retirement and ignore those good works which lie ahead for you to do.

That means your purpose doesn’t end with your paycheck. And it also means your growth doesn’t stop with your career.

God still has good works prepared for you. But some of those might require new skills. New contacts. A fresh start. And that’s not a burden – it’s an invitation.

Abraham didn’t pick up and move to Canaan until he was 75. Moses didn’t start leading the Israelites out of Egypt until he was 80. Even Colonel Sanders didn’t launch the KFC brand until he was 62. God is in the business of fresh starts – even in later seasons.

So if you’re hesitating to try something new, ask yourself: is it because God is closing a door – or because you don’t want the hassle of opening a new one?

This isn’t about chasing work to stay busy. It’s about being open to growth when God presents the opportunity.

Faithfulness doesn’t always feel easy. Sometimes it looks like raising your hand in a room full of strangers. Sometimes it means doing a lot of online research on a field completely unfamiliar to you. Or, sometimes it just means showing up even when you’re not sure you belong – yet.

Don’t let comfort block God’s calling in this final chapter. That’s not what He wants, and deep down, it’s not what you want either.

Reflection Questions:

• Where might I be resisting something new – not because it’s wrong, but because it’s unfamiliar?
• What skill, relationship, or opportunity might God be inviting me to pursue in this next season?

Prayer:

Lord, I admit that I like comfort. I’m not eager to start over or feel like a beginner. But I don’t want to miss the good works You’ve prepared for me. Give me the courage to stretch, to learn, and to try something new – so I can keep growing in You. Amen.