Back in the days when I used to work for a third-party benefits administrator I provided information to clients regarding their pensions. One of the options of retirement allows a person at full retirement age (62-67 depending on the plan) to continue working even though they may be fully vested and able to receive their pension . When a person makes a conscious decision to continue to be gainfully employed by the company beyond that age bracket it is referred to as “Deferred Retirement” which simply means putting off taking advantage of the earned pension until a later date.
I recall being sadden by the many stories of people in their late sixties who had been with a company for some twenty or thirty years were practically forced to continue working because the pension alone would not sustain their lifestyle. Others on the other hand, were able to retire with $5,000-6,000 per month and would take early retirement so they had more time to enjoy it.
How often are we looking at life as if our dreams should be a “deferred benefit”? You know exactly what I’m saying, don’t act like I’m speaking in a foreign tongue. That vision that was clued to your mind as a child or young adult and you would sit and watch someone fulfill a similar dream on TV with anticipation of when it would be you. But then something called “LIFE” happened. You found a decent job, at least to someone’s’ standards even if not your own, or you discovered that you could move up the ladder pretty quickly and just settled in to the good life of an income that was twice what you parents made at your age. Or maybe you got married and had to become a real adult and dreams were set on the back burner so that you could play parent, spouse or homeowner with a picket fence and a cute little dog.
The reality is if you have something deep inside of you that has been buried under the premise of fear, failure, self sabotage, missed placed values or being the best people pleaser that you know, then your deferred dream is just as bad, if not worse, than the failure of attempting the dream and not obtaining it. I don’t think most people understand that our dreams and aspirations are established in us before creation. Yes, God created you with that dream in mind. Not only as one for you to ponder over and enable you to fall asleep without counting sheep, but HIS desire was that you walk that dream out. Live it, perform it, create it, develop it, cultivate it, protect it, enjoy it and yes even BE IT!
So why are you putting it off? Don’t tell me you don’t have time, because you already know that no matter which time zone in which you live, there are still the same 24 hours in every day. What are you doing with yours? I would rather run a race giving my best and at least cross the finish line than to quit in the middle because I was afraid I might fall in the process. Listen to me very carefully when I say, “Someone is waiting for their lives to improve as a result of YOU pursuing your dream”. “How?” you might ask. It’s actually rather simple, you have something in you that the world needs. Is it an innovative idea, opportunity for creating jobs, process or procedure that would save time or money, a problem that the world awaits a solution? What is your dream and why are you willing to defer it for a time that is not promised to you instead of pursuing it even with failure as a consideration because if you fail you can always learn, course correct and pursue again? But if you defer and it dies with you then the graveyard will just contain yet another dead millionaire who never got a chance to live the life of one!
Stop putting it off. Don’t defer your dreams and delay someone else’s’ miracle because you are too caught up in your age, circumstance, past failures, lack of motivation, lack of resources or knowledge and get up and make a move. If you’ve ever played any kind of game with another person and its their turn to move but instead they drift off to a phone text, bathroom break or to the kitchen for snacks, you literally have to wait until they return because it’s not your move, right? Well the world has been waiting for you to return from the frig or the toilet and make your move. I dare you to take those small steps in the right direction and just see what happens. I can tell you from experience you will awaken that zeal that is sitting at the bottom of your stomach and finally get into maternity stage. This is not the time for you to retire, its time for you to give birth! PUSH and make something happen!
Joel 2:28 NLT
“Then after doing all those things, I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.”
LIVE UR JOURNEY 