I recently
took some finance classes at my university. In my class we learned that
planning for retirement is something everyone needs to do right now—whether you
are 20, 40, or 60 years old. Many Americans face the issue of not having enough
to retire at the age they would have liked to because they start planning for
their retirement later in their lives.
Although
everyone knows that they need to retire one day, many choose to procrastinate
their retirement plans. There are many reasons why they wait. They may feel
that planning for retirement takes a lot of time, energy, and effort and the
task may feel too daunting for them. They may feel that their education is
lacking and will wait it out until they gain more experience before investing.
They may have a hard time saying no to unnecessary purchases. They may want to
socialize and have fun rather than save that money for a goal they don’t
currently understand. Because of their procrastination, they may find
themselves at a retirement age or forced into retirement due to health issues
unprepared.
God gave us
all agency to choose for ourselves right from wrong. Like many who
procrastinate their retirement plan, many may procrastinate their salvation
plan. Planning for our salvation may limit our socializing and may take a lot
of time, energy, and effort. It may feel overwhelming and hard at times and we
may feel that we’re too inexperienced to understand religion. It may difficult
saying no to worldly pleasures and doing something “fun” rather than working
for a goal we don’t fully understand. But because of these excuses to
procrastinate, we may find ourselves unprepared at the second coming.
I urge all
of you, whether you are 8, 38, or 88 years old, to take the necessary time to
find out the truth of the gospel for yourself. Read the scriptures and talk to our
Heavenly Father daily. Plead for inspiration and understanding. Gain your own
testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And once you gain
that testimony, take action today. Choose today to invest in the Plan of
Salvation so you can be prepared at the last day to enter into the Kingdom of
God.
What a great comparison of the plan of salvation and investing our time and efforts into it. This is a great way to understand how we truly need to put more of our energy into preparing for the second coming of Christ. We need to make sure we repent of all of our sins now and use the gift of the Atonement that Christ has given us to do so.
ReplyDeleteVery true! Of all the things we should avoid procrastinating, spirituality is at the top of the list. When we put God first in our lives, we are more equipped with the spiritual power necessary to succeed at loving and taking care of family, as well as being a good friend to others.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article and an apt comparison. I think anyone who has faced retirement unprepared feels the immense stress and burden of that situation and our salvation is even more important. We don't need to feel overwhelmed though, we can start preparing now just one step at a time and God will help us along the way to get where we need to be.
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