Sek Yee Chang
My testimony - 2005

Though God has definitely been good to me and my family, sometimes it is hard to come right out to say "Thank You God" because as I look around and see other blessed people, more blessed than I and yet they kept their silence. Am I being boastful if I speak up to praise Him who blesses me? Absolutely not! He is sovereign to give whatever to whoever and whenever He pleases. My responsibility is just to give Him praises that He deserves. With that in mind, I am writing about my pending early retirement from almost 30 years of working as an engineer.

Many of you have heard about my plan to retire this year. Some of you have asked me what I am planning to do. Many of you, no doubt, want to know "how can you do it?"

First, let me say that I do plan, I do calculate how much retirement benefits I may receive from my employer, and I do take into account my children's education needs. And because I also read what the Bible says about relying on our own planning - I will only say that, "If the Lord is willing, I will retire this year."

My plan to retire early really started with a desire to do more for the Lord. The last three years at New Life have exposed me to many aspects of ministering in a small church. It also exposed me to many gifted people. But the sad fact is that many gifted people are also busy people! They are busy with work, busy with their families, busy with ministry! In the end, their lives become off-balance and they (and their families) suffer either physically, spiritually, or both, and God is not glorified.

The Bible says "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). When I examine my own life, I realized that God wants me to give Him my best. My best to Him is not my money, not my family (though they are precious to me), but myself - my time. As I look at all the things that I have - they will all go away. The Lord is asking me: "Do you love me more than these?" My employer's pension plan is good enough, enough for us to live on - what more can I ask? Thank you for your provisions, Lord!

What am I going to do in my retirement? I plan to take classes in Bible exposition, and classes perhaps in counseling, be more involved in church ministries, and in my spare time, perhaps do some gardening. Hey, I would love to see more of you joining in!