Want to know what one of the biggest contributors to your happiness will be when you’re my age? Please indulge me as I reflect on being an empty nester, and what I’ve seen most contributes to the happiness of my empty nester friends, so that those of you still in the thick of raising your children can make use of my friends’ hindsight.
Millions of couples make monthly contributions to their retirement accounts so that they don’t “run out of money” in their senior years. That’s a wise thing to do. But did you realize you can also invest in your future happiness?
You can.
And how you do that may surprise you.
Writing as an empty nester, with a lot of empty nester friends, I can say with confidence that a big part of your joy in life when you’re older will be influenced by how closely your children are walking with the Lord. If they are not following God, you will endure some sleepless nights and broken hearts. If they are following God but face employment issues, health issues, marital issues, etc., the pain will still be real, but it will be an entirely different kind of pain.
Though we don’t “disciple” our kids primarily for what it does for us, the fact remains that one of the greatest contributors to your own future happiness will be helping your children connect sincerely with and grow in their devotion to Jesus.
Continue reading this blog post over on Substack HERE.