“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1).
June 14th was the US Army’s 251st birthday. I have proudly served the U.S. Army as a Soldier for 20 years and as a Department of the Army civilian for 18. If you count the year and a half that I worked as a contractor for the Center for Army Lessons Learned in-between, I have been working for the Army for more than 40 consecutive years. It seems like a good time to make a major announcement. After much prayer, I have decided to retire from active federal service at the end of December.
Before I describe the process I went through since last February to lay out my options, wrestle with the decision after I made it, and what confirmations settled this hard decision afterwards, let me reiterate my understanding of God’s involvement in our vocations, from start to finish.
It is not a stretch to see through the lens of Scripture that God is directly involved in all aspects of the lives of His children. I want to reemphasize here that if God prepared us from the womb for our vocation, provided jobs for us, sustained us through every trial, and redirected our path whenever He needed us to be somewhere else, He will certainly lead us when it’s time to retire.
The process
I have spent a moderate amount of time since I turned sixty, thinking, praying, and making PowerPoint slides to develop courses of action on when to retire. I have written several articles on when the best time would be to retire and step away from this extraordinary position that God entrusted to me, thus ending my long, extremely challenging, yet satisfying military career.
Here were my three main courses of action I had carefully planned out:
- Retiring in December 2026 would be my earliest option; it acknowledged my 40 years serving in and with the Army (which I celebrated in March)
- I could work until August 2027 to reach 40 years of active federal service (I had an 18-month gap as a contractor when I first retired from active duty)
- I could stay until February 2028 (or beyond) to finish 20 years as a Department of the Army Civilian to receive a bigger retirement check
A few months ago, I sought the advice of a coworker. I wanted her input on my choices. Without hesitation, she said, “If it were me, I would prioritize my family above all else when making my decision on when to retire.” Retiring at the end of this calendar year makes it possible to move near our son’s family in the Kansas City area the summer of 2028. So, I chose the earliest date.
Prioritizing my family meant that any concerns I had about the impact of my departure on my teammates were secondary. On the one hand, I would love to plan and execute several major ceremonies in the spring and summer of 2027 in addition to the usual events in June. On the other hand, after 18 years, perhaps it is time to step aside and let someone else have a turn.
Second guessing my decision
Within a week of my decision, I informed my three adult children. When I spoke with my daughter, she said that she wanted to attend my retirement ceremony. However, after discussing it with my wife after the call, it was clear that my decision to retire in late December with a ceremony right before Thanksgiving might not work. Five of six of my children and their spouses are teachers. It would be much easier if I scheduled my ceremony in the summer.
I was now faced with two unexpected choices: go with my second course of action to retire in the summer of 2027 or retire this summer. I did not like either option much, but I had to act quickly. What was interesting is that I felt led to pray several times the very day that I talked with my daughter, “Lord, I am willing to retire sooner or stay longer. It is your call, not mine.”
When I awoke the next morning, it was pretty clear. Retiring this summer was just too soon. The following summer was 16 months away. It seemed far too long, but I felt I had no choice.
I spent several hours that morning reworking my detailed timeline to retire in August 2027. At lunchtime, my daughter gave me a second gift. (The first one was her telling me the night before that she wanted to attend my ceremony.) She texted me, “Retire when it feels right to you!” After much angst, I went back to my first choice, which was to finish out this year “Army strong.”
Confirmations that settled the decision
Since then, I have gone back and forth on my decision multiple times. I see the advantages of getting out at the end of the year, but I am really going to miss leaving this family that I love.
In addition to being free to travel as much as we want in 2027 to see our three children and our seven grandchildren and be ready to move closer to one of them the summer of 2028, there were other considerations I thought of as I prepared to make my decision on exactly when to retire.
I want to retire long before my health declines, while I am still mostly on top of my game. I want to make the decision before my boss pulls me into his office to tell me that it’s time to go. I am fortunate to not have any health problems, but I do notice that my memory is not what it used to be. I often forget the names of people I work with, which makes it hard to send them an email.
Final thoughts
My wife reminded a couple in our marriage class we teach that God’s promise to provide wisdom to all who ask for it (James 1:5) is something we can always count on. Wisdom is what I have been praying for during this whole process. Timing is everything. I did not want to stay too long, and I did not want to leave too soon. I am more than ready to go now. I have peace about it.
My earnest desire is to help Christians who work in ordinary jobs see God’s presence at work and understand its eternal value. If God was present with you when you were looking for a job, provided it for you, and got you through every challenge, then He will be with you until the end.
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