“My eyes are dim with grief” (Ps. 88:9).
On July 28, 2026 Christian Grandfather Magazine published an article announcing my impending retirement at the end of this calendar year. Why? I have served the U.S. Army as a soldier on active duty, contractor, and civilian professional for over 40 years. Next month, I will turn 68 years old. For a number of other good reasons, it is time.
Ever since I made up my mind last February, I have often said to myself on my daily walks around the building, “I am going to miss this!” I am truly going to miss a whole lot of things when I leave.
This next chapter is going to be a huge life-changing transition and a major loss for me. I imagine that not going to work every day will leave a big hole in my heart that may take a long time to fill. Let me address the following questions as honestly as I can: What am I going to miss when I retire? What am I not going to miss? What am I going to do next? What am I looking forward to most?
What am I going to miss?
One of the things I will miss the most is walking around the building giving the greeting of the day to the Soldiers that I pass by. There is no greater joy than to say, “Good morning, Sergeant Major” to a sergeant major I have never met before. I also truly enjoy talking to Soldiers I notice are wearing the same unit patch I have worn in the past, indicating we had served at the same post.
I will miss the many growth opportunities that this position gave me. My responsibilities stretched me. I learned so much. I had to. I was never bored. I always had things to do that were intellectually and emotionally challenging. The one thing that kept me going was knowing God was working through me to love my neighbor (i.e., boss, coworkers, and customers) by meeting their needs.
I will especially miss leading teams of Soldiers entrusted to me to accomplish significant missions that had a lasting impact. There were major events we planned, prepared, and executed such as the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps as well as the mundane daily tasks. I will miss serving the military and civilian leaders stationed around the world that I assisted in my unique role.
Because I had to constantly depend on God for wisdom and strength to take care of the people and projects I was responsible for, I fear I will miss the practice of God’s presence at work. Whatever I will do in retirement will probably never bring the same level of stress that drove me to pray as I walked around my headquarters building. (Perhaps I will reflect on this bit more in another article.)
What am I not going to miss?
One of the main aspects of a biblical theology of work are the thorns and thistles. You know that work is much harder than necessary. Every single job has its share of universal thorns and thistles, such as bad bosses, time constraints, unrealistic expectations, shenanigans, not enough people, and corruption, plus a large laundry list of difficult things that are specific to that particular field.
As a Christian, you probably already know from Gen. 3:17-19 that work was cursed by God due to Adam’s sin. The ground would produce hurtful, fast-growing, and ugly weeds instead of the crops you thought you were growing. You may not have considered this: the work you do now is also cursed due to Adam’s sin, as well as the sins of your bosses, coworkers, customers, and yours also.
These are some of the things I am not going to miss:
- Government shutdowns and furloughs
- Servers, printers, software, etc., that go down at the most inconvenient time
- Too many meetings and those that drone on and on needlessly
- Being asked to fix something you thought was good to go
- Leaders who don’t seem to care about the people that work for them
What am I going to do next?
People have asked me quite frequently what I am going to do with all of my free time. The first thing I am going to do is to sleep in to 0730. I will no longer have to get up a o-dark thirty, which I have done for the past 40 years with the U.S. Army to get to work on time. But more than that, the answer is fairly simple. I will do whatever I feel God calls me to do with the years I have left.
My biggest calling is as a husband, father, and grandfather. I am looking forward to spending more time with my beautiful wife of 45 years. We have three adult children and seven grandchildren who live in three different cities in two states. We increase the frequency of our visits to see them as long as we are physically and mentally able to do so. We anticipate attending birthdays, music concerts, plays, and other special events.
There are other things I want to do. I want to invest time into taking better care of my mind and body. I anticipate going to the gym regularly. I want to shut off the television, put down my phone, and read. I will take care of the many household projects I have been neglecting for many years. We also need to downsize tons of stuff in preparation to sell our house and move the summer of 2028.
What am I looking forward to most?
The thing I am looking forward to most has been beautifully described in a well-known song from the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof.” Towards the end of the song, Tevye sings about what he would like to be able to do with his free time, if he were a rich man. I can totally identify with his desire.
If I were rich, I’d have the time that I lack to sit in the synagogue and pray
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall
And I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day
And that would be the sweetest thing of all
I can’t wait to have unlimited time to pray, read the Scriptures, consult my commentaries and other Bible study references, and reread some of my seminary books to grow more in my Christian faith. I also anticipate I will have the opportunity to deeply fellowship with other men, both young and old.
Challenging conclusion/practical application
I trust that this small peek into the window of my heart and mind was helpful for those workers who are thinking about retirement someday. I know that this is a difficult decision to make, depending on one’s financial circumstances. I also know without a doubt that since God has been present in every season of my winding career path, He has been and will be with me in this final chapter.
I look forward to seeing what God has planned for me and my family in 2027 and beyond. I trust that God will clearly lead me on the right path as He has done since I began my faith journey. I know that the Good Shepherd will lead you as well, at whatever age or stage of life you find yourself.
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