The Enduring Words of a President

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In reverence of former President Jimmy Carter's end-of-life journey, I re-read his thoughtful little book The Virtues of Aging. In his southern homespun way, Mr. Carter shares about his life in "retirement." It is flabbergasting to realize he was, as he puts it, “involuntarily retired” from the White House nearly 42 years ago! In these four decades, he has re-invented his life and re-ignited his purpose in multiple ways. 

I was particularly impressed by Mr. Carter’s wrestling with feelings of loss, meaningless and lack of direction in his new phase of life. I guess I just assumed that important men know what to do with their time. Apparently, their struggles are similar to all of ours’.

Carter's transition took a positive turn when he intentionally reassessed his unique design. Here’s what he says:

“It was not easy, but eventually we gathered enough courage to assess our talents, experience, and potential influence in affecting some of the social and political issues in which we were still interested. We finally made a major decision: to try to explore completely new commitments.”
 
I appreciate the reminder that when we have the courage to examine our unique design and God’s calling on our lives, we can find new purpose and new ways of service. The mission of Re-Ignite is to help you do just that.

Quote from The Virtues of Aging, by Jimmy Carter, 1998, pg. 5
Photo Courtesy of the White House and Canstock