The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters

by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Actually, it is not a Halloween decoration at all. If you look at some of the most historic portraits in the Christian tradition, you will see a skull within the painting. This was known as memento mori, the memory of death, which was intended to motivate the subject of the painting to make the most of the time given to him. That skull on my desk is not a morbid decoration or a macabre ornament from a dark holiday. It is a constant reminder of mortality as essential to the human condition, and an impetus to be aware that every passing day removes one tick from the column marked Future and adds one to the column marked Past.

In the years after World War II, Americans developed the idea that the good life meant having a fulfilling career followed by a lengthy retirement. The ideal of retirement seems to be a life of leisure and ease, occasionally interrupted by travel and entertainment. That is a fundamentally dangerous concept. In the first place, it is unprecedented in human history. The idea of a long period of unproductive leisure at the end of life is a modern invention, and it flies in the face of the Bible’s exhortation to meaningful work and service for the kingdom. This retirement ideal is also financially irresponsible, since improved health and the extension of life—good things in themselves—have lengthened the typical span of life after retirement by many years. This is not economically viable for a large population over the long term.

For Christians the issue should be redeployment rather than retirement.