Radical Retirement

The phone call took place in two different time zones. On my side of the globe, the sun was out, and on their side, the night had just anchored itself to the sky. My assignment was to interview Colin on what it is like to work as a business director overseas. Instead I came away hearing what it was like to live a life of sacrificial joy.

See, Colin opted for an early retirement from his company. At the time he was working with a well known IT firm and had 28 years of experience and skill behind him. For someone like Colin, society dictates that a life of comfort and ease is totally acceptable to pursue after retiring. However, along with his wife, he did something unexpected.

"It slowly made sense," Colin recalled, as he talked about his decision to support a church planting team in a region dangerous to Christians. Here was an opportunity for him to use his business skills sharpened by years in the marketplace and use it to break ground in one of the countries least reached by the gospel. As I talked to him, I was astounded by the mix of gentleness, humility, and courage in his testimony.

Colin continued to unfold the circumstances of how he decided to work in the 10/40 window¹. He explained that it involved much research, a number of conversations with faithful friends, a short term trip to the region to investigate the area, a year-long process of applying to a missionary-sending organization, some weeks of receiving training, and figuring out what you needed to do to "slow down and close up shop" in the US for two to three years. "It's doable," he summarizes, "the world is much smaller, and you can do a lot of things remotely." His resolve was unquestionable.

Today, the business that Colin runs in the 10/40 window gives church planters access into a country hostile to the gospel and sustain their presence there. He helps the mission workers by managing the time spent on the business and church planting. Innovation has also become a normal pursuit for missionary businessmen like Colin. As he spearheads the effort to set up a profitable company that is respected in the community, he is confronted with challenges from changing labor laws to the language gap, to threats of being thrown out of the country. All of this while keeping an eye on the prize: the spread of the Good News, and the establishment of a local church for God's glory.

What John Piper writes in his book, "Don't Waste Your Life" seems to be the theme of Colin's life: "If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full." To Colin, there was no better way to invest his retirement years than living this counter-culture lifestyle. As I asked him what he would say to a person considering a similar "radical retirement", he quickly gave me a list of the rewards of doing Kingdom work - all from the good addition to your resume to investing in eternal rewards.

As I set the phone down a few minutes later, it made me think of my own life and whether I was ready to "close up shop" if the Lord called me to work overseas. Did I have the same panoramic perspective that Colin had? Can I say "it's doable" by the grace of God and willingly place myself in a situation where worldly opposition becomes a familiar companion? Am I ready for a life of hard work, high risk, yet of full joy? In light of this, a friend reminded me of Matthew 6:19-21: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." O Lord, may my heart be found treasuring you above all!

It humbled me that I get to work with people like Colin and that the Lord would place us in a position to support men like him. Have you talked to a "Colin" lately? Do it. Allow their passion for the gospel to ignite yours.

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To listen in to the testimony of one of our overseas partners, or to learn more about how you or a friend can take part in the business director program (even if you just want us to help spread the word), please email us at ap@creativemission.org or leave your information at www.creativemission.org/ap/connect to sign up for the next informational web meeting.

¹ The 10/40 window is an area between the 10th and 40th parallels on the globe where the majority of unreached people groups (UPGs) live. UPGs often have no access to the gospel at all and fewer than 2% of their populations are evangelical Christians. There are over 5,000 UPGs in the 10/40 window - the area where the need for church planting is the greatest. (Source: Joshua Project)