The American Dream and a Wasted Life

At one time the American dream was a house with a white-picket fence, two kids and a dog. Over the years that dream has morphed into something else. Now, the house, kids, dog, and job that pay for them (well...maybe not the kids) all seem to be steps to the new American dream...Retirement!

Stay with me. As a 30 year old who's been working since I was 15, I have been taught the importance of saving for retirement. Now I'm not against saving for retirement or preparing for the future, but what kind of future. Everywhere you turn the new American dream is espoused, a life of leisure and relaxation devoid of work and pain.

The problem with this goal is that it is not supported by Scripture. When you study God's word in an effort to find out how you should spend your life, the words, "leisure", "relaxation", even "retirement" are nowhere to be found. I would like to offer up the idea that instead of saving money all our lives toward a goal of "retirement", that we would do better to save resources during our career years toward the goal of "mission". I hope that when the time comes that I no longer work a regular Monday through Friday (or Sunday) job, that I will have saved enough money to do whatever I want. What I want is to be able to go on mission trips with my church, help feed people in India, dig a well in Africa, give money (a lot) to whatever building project the church we serve in is involved with, and in general have the financial freedom to serve Christ however he leads.

God, keep me from wasting my life on the pursuit of a retirement
defined by leisure and relaxation.

For a great message on not wasting your life, click here.

--Collin