There are times when you have doubts about something. Then a bit of confirmation seals your confidence.

Many years ago I encouraged a staff member of mine to seek a different position in another church. We had some tough conversations and I knew it was not what he really wanted. But I also knew it was the best thing for his growth and for our church.

Still, when he left, I felt bad and wondered if I had made the right decision.

Two years later I met up with this former staffer who was now in a new position. I was a little apprehensive when I saw him but he came rushing over to me and said the move he made to his new ministry was best for him. He thanked me for helping him make that move.

It had been two years and, though I didn’t think about him all the time, there were moments in those years when I really wondered if I had been too hard or had that difficult conversation with him too soon.

But all that doubt, feeling unsure if I’d done the right thing, disappeared in an instant. When he greeted me with a big thank you, I knew without a doubt and was confident that I’d done the right thing.

Well, back in October when I retired, there were definite signs that I was retired and in many ways I felt like I was retired. But I had some expectations of what retirement would be like. There were a couple of things that just didn’t fit the vision of retirement that I had.

One of the things I thought I would do is play more sports. I envisioned increased mountain biking and playing more hockey. The weather was quite unpredictable and I found that I didn’t go biking as much as I thought I would. Golf was winding down and I only ended up playing a few games late in the fall.

But when hockey started up, that is when I wondered what this retirement gig was going to be like.

Over the years I’ve played hockey two or three times a week during the winter months. But this fall, with all the extra time on my hands, I was only playing once a week.

The old pick up hockey that I’d played for literally 24 years had dried up. I signed up to play once during the fall and there was only six of us. Let’s just say it was not fun.

Other than that one regular weekly hockey game early Saturday mornings, I had nothing else. And I was supposed to be retired, free to play more hockey than I’d played for years. Instead I was playing just one hour per week.

… Well, that is until this past week. I just finished playing hockey for the fourth time! Now I’m convinced I’m retired.

Here’s the thing: There are times we may have doubts over decisions we have made – maybe even doubts about God’s plan for our lives. But when we see His answer to a prayer or a confirmation of His hand on our life, we get convinced all over again. Never stop praying and interacting with God. He will continue to give you confidence in Him.

That’s Life! Paul
Question: What do you need some convincing of right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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