When we were much younger, Janet and I couldn’t wait to be successful so that we had freedom to fulfill the dreams that we have had from the beginning. We intentionally had our children when we were young so that we could spend the majority of our lives with them. And, to be honest, we had a pretty good life for many of those years. Of course, being the entrepreneur that I am, there were some tight years in there as well. After all, owners get what is left over – sometimes it is a windfall and other times you’re tightening the belt for a season.
We actually thought that when the kids were out of the house we would move to Florida and purchase a home there. We loved Ft. Lauderdale and Janet’s folks had several wonderful homes there throughout the years. Janet and I even went to far as to rent condos on the oceanfront for a number of years, but it never came to pass that we actually bought in Florida.
As the kids got older, and we had grandchildren, the landscape changed. It wasn’t as urgent that we buy a home in Florida. Then, somewhere along the road, Janet and I decided that we didn’t want to move to Florida. It’s’ too bad that we didn’t think that way decades earlier. Our dreams changed. In fact, I think all three of our children would be mortified if we moved away at this point in our lives and I think our four grandsons would also be stunned. Let’s face it, the optics of doing that would not be good…
In a way, the same is true with cars. As Janet and I got closer to retirement and things slowed down several years ago, we started to drive nicer cars. Now I don’t mean last year…. Janet’s car will be ten years old in October. And my car is six years old now. We have an extended warranty on both cars and it has come in handy. While both cars have been relatively free of major problems, the warranties have come in handy.
Earlier this summer, Janet had a major repair that wasn’t covered under the warranty. It was expensive enough that, for a time, I thought that maybe Janet should consider a new vehicle. Things kind of piled up. When it went in for the repair, they discovered a nail in the right rear sidewall and that resulted in a new set of tires all around. In October, we will have to renew the warranty, if we keep the car, and we will also have the annual service, which isn’t an inexpensive proposition. All told, it’s a pretty salty number.
But now we get to the interesting part. Janet loves her car. She doesn’t just like it, she LOVES it! When we sat down and talked it out, we came to the conclusion that our kids are at expensive times in their lives. Several grandchildren in college, another headed to college in two years and a family that looks to us for guidance. We came to the conclusion that with the kids going through this time of life that is so expensive for them, and grandchildren graduating college and renting apartments on their own, we thought we would be better off to forego the new car and fix the ten year old one.
Now I know many of you may think that we decided the wrong way, but Janet and I didn’t like the optics of getting a new car when the family is in the middle of so many transitions. So… we didn’t get an upgrade. The same is true of my car. It stays for the foreseeable future.
As we get older, we more and more consider the optics of how our actions appear to the rest of the family. Admittedly, this is something that we didn’t consider when we were much younger. And maybe, just maybe, we are too sensitive to the optics. But I don’t think so. We are to set an example for our families, especially as we age and have the capacity to do whatever, within reason, we choose to do with our savings. In other words, just because we can doesn’t mean that we should…
The optics are very important in our spiritual lives as well. As believers, seekers and non-believers look to us each day and see how we wear the mantle of Christianity. We are to demonstrate our commitment to the Lord by making choices in accordance with the will of God for our lives. Even if it may be something that we would rather not do. We are to rise above our own desires and do what is best for the kingdom of God. It’s not easy to do. There are many times when I would rather follow my own path and do what I want. It has taken us years to deny those impulses.
Our verse for tonight is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He tells us, in Philippians 2:2-7, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
My encouragement this evening is that Jesus always acted in a way that demonstrated to His audience His commitment to His Father. That is the expectation of us as well, as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. We are also to be great examples for our families. My prayer is that as we continue our roles as patriarchs and matriarchs of our families, we will make wise, humble choices that will point others to Christ and set our families up for success as the next generations come of age. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…