Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Purpose-Driven Retiree

Recently a friend gave me a copy of The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren. I must say that I loved it, loved it, loved it! As suggested, I only read one chapter a day, just before I went to sleep, so I could let the concepts percolate in my mind throughout the next day.

The chapters definitely seemed to parallel the spiritual journey I’ve been traveling for the past two years. The first section, Planned for God’s Pleasure, notes that our first purpose is to bring God glory by getting to know Him and love Him. This was indeed the first ‘leg’ of my journey, taken up when I began praying with the Scriptures. Through my prayer life I have deepened my relationship with the Lord, and His word has brought me much closer to Him. Many of my scriptural reflections emphasize the joy of offering all we do for God’s glory and pleasure. This is something I always strive to do; it is also one of the major points made in section.

And so it went with the rest of the book. Section 2, Formed for God’s Family, reflects in my increased involvement with Christian groups such as St. Vincent de Paul, the Ignatian Praying with Scriptures group, my weekend retreat, and the newly formed Faith Sharing group at our church. The next section emphasizes becoming like Christ, another direction I’ve taken in recent months as a result of my meditations. Bringing glory to God by serving others is addressed in the Section 4; this was one of my earliest goals, one I’ve sought to fulfill by working with the indigent at The Helping Place and through St. Vincent de Paul. This section also describes using one’s talents and spiritual gifts to bring others to Christ, which I’ve attempted to do by discerning the charisms endowed upon me by the Holy Spirit. This is still an ongoing process for me, but one that is calm and unrushed, giving me a sense of discovery rather than one of desperation.

Warren defined our fifth purpose in life as taking up our mission, which is to bring Christ to others through evangelism. It’s interesting that the word ‘mission’ is one I’ve used many times on this blog, beginning with my very first post; however, I have never, ever used the term evangelism. In fact, it’s a term I never would have dreamed to associate with myself until very recently. Yet, my recent scripture meditations seem to be pointing in this direction, even before I got the last chapters of The Purpose Driven Life. On August 26, I posted my reflections on this topic on my blog Seek Ye First. I know that I have a long way to go in this department, but again, it is a way for me to grow and mature in my spiritual life. Indeed, it has given me a new sense of purpose, one that never occurred to me before. And so my journey continues, as I seek the confidence, courage and poise to share my faith openly with others.