But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
He answered, "I will be with you.”    - Exodus

Godd has a job for each of us and He’ll help us do it.

That’s the message I take from today’s reading from Exodus in which God both commissions Moses to free Israel from pharaoh and promises to be with him as he does it.  Would he do anything less for us?

This passage seems particularly pertinent to retirees because we get to make choices now which were impossible when we were raising kids, coping with our jobs or both.  I was reminded of this today while watching a friend trying to simultaneously care for his 10-month-old son and complete our church project.

But in retirement, it may seem that God has run out of assignments for us. He hasn’t and I’m pretty sure they don’t include binge watching “Friends” or “Cheers.”

I’ve always believed that the key to feeling that I’ve spent my day well is to help others so it’s important to listen to God calling us in in new ways. You’ll find the invitations everywhere, especially church bulletins.

Respond even if you’re not sure what you’re getting into.

One day I spent two hours at a food pantry putting two loaves of bread in baskets while listening to conversations about getting clean and/or going straight. Being badly over-educated, I learned things that no graduate seminar ever taught me.

I’m also noticing that God assigns me to help people I’ve known for years like a dear friend with dementia. I stumbled into taking her on weekly “little adventures” to exciting places like Trader Joe’s and city parks. While it’s painful to watch the decline of a brilliant person, I can’t think of a more rewarding way to spend a morning.
As I drive away, I often think of Mother Teresa saying that loneliness is the greatest poverty. Something as simple as taking a friend out of her house for coffee feels like a great way of fighting this form of poverty. And I know God is with us.

So, listen for your assignments and be grateful because however humble your task, God is with you.