Running Out the Clock

First there came "late career," then "pre-retirement," and now at my church job I am running out the clock. It's a term heard in football when you just need to keep the ball safely in play until the last quarter ends.

Jesus never did this--because his most important work came at the end. But at St. Thomas's, my most important work is over. The heavy clearing of boulders and laying of foundations is done: a highway is prepared for God. If this were a public speech I'd say, "You did it yourselves," which would be true enough--but as for me, I'm cycling off.

I'm getting ready to end my career. Today I went through my home files, saving two for the Sunday School, throwing everything else in the re-cycling. At work, I have gradually removed my personal items from my office. All that's left is running out the clock.

Running out the clock means cutting short those plans and worries for next year and even for next month. I've held my last teacher meeting. Good-bye, parent meetings. No more meetings, no more planning and creating. There are other people who need to start doing these things. For me, just present tense and short-term plans remain. I will send a few reminder e-mails and coordinate one more big event. And my presence on the field, Sunday mornings, will be required four more times. Only two more paychecks will plop into my bank account.

And then I will be retired.