I recently received my yearly Social Security update, which tells you how much you’ll earn when you retire if nothing in your income changes. In the past, I filed the letter away without so much as a glance, but this year was different. Hearing the tick-tock of the passing of time getting louder and louder and realizing the day of retirement is sooner rather than later, I decided to finally take a look at what Social Security had to say. I shouldn’t have. 

What I saw confirmed what I had long suspected—I won’t be able to afford to retire to the States. The second noteworthy item I noticed is that my optimal retirement age is seventy or later. My goal is to work as long as possible, even well past that age, but I still would like to have a choice. I guess now I know the day is still far away.  

None of this surprises me, although when I left for the field while in my twenties, retirement wasn’t a matter to which I gave much thought. It was something far off in the distant future. Of course, as we go through life, we quickly realize that time elapses faster than expected. 

What allows me to look ahead to my future retirement without having a panic attack? (Okay, so I do have occasional moments of anxiety). I hold onto Jesus’ promise in Mathew 6:33-34.  

Starting in verse 25, Jesus addresses the topic of our physical needs and our natural inclination to worry. He wants to put our minds at ease and remind us that God knows about all the necessities of life. 

Jesus promises that if our top priority is to advance His kingdom, He will supply what we need. He calls us to trust Him with our lives and not be like the world, which chases after material goods. Not because we have no needs but because we’re secure in His hands.  

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know this one thing: God will provide.