32. Retirement That Matters: Counting the Cost God’s Way

What does it really cost to step into a retirement that honors God?

In this episode of Courageous Retirement, host Vona Johnson invites you to look beyond bank accounts and bucket lists to discover what truly matters when leaving the working world behind.

Drawing from the story of Zacchaeus, Vona shows how even the most unlikely people can find acceptance, transformation, and purpose in Jesus. She opens up about her own shift from chasing worldly success to pursuing the deeper joy that comes from walking in God’s calling.

You’ll come away challenged to build your retirement on the unshakable foundation of Christ—and inspired to live with eternal purpose, no matter your age or stage.

Plus, hear about a free virtual event on August 27, 2025, to help you prepare for a retirement that’s more than the money.

00:00 Introduction: Contemplating Retirement
01:05 Counting the Cost: Biblical Foundations
02:32 Lessons from Zacchaeus: Embracing Change
04:43 Facing Modern Challenges: Faith in Action
05:53 Invitation: More Than the Money
06:46 Personal Story: The Success Shift
10:00 Conclusion: Finding True Joy

Quotes:
 Regardless of where He might be leading you in this season, I encourage you to count the cost before you embark on this beautiful season of life.

 Jesus doesn't want us to just hear about salvation and the life that we can have with him. He wants us to live out that life. He wants us to live out our biblical purpose like Zacchaeus. God wants us to have a change of heart and a change of behavior.

Scripture References:
Counting the Cost Luke 14:28-30
Story of Zacchaeus Luke 19
Building on a Solid Foundation Luke 6:46
Warning to the Rich James 5:1-3

Reach out to me or check back for information on how to register for the More than the Money Event.

Thank you for stopping by today! Remember to Engage Your Faith and Live Your More as you reap the benefits of Courageous Retirement!

To watch the video, check out my YouTube Channel!

Learn more about the show, author Vona Johnson, and more at vonajohnson.com!

Schedule a free 15 minute Your Path to More call with Vona.

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Transcript

Vona Johnson: 0:00

What more is God calling you to as you contemplate your retirement years? Is he asking you to linger at your work a little bit longer so you can finish well and leave a lasting legacy there? Is he nudging you towards something new and completely different than you've ever done, or maybe he's signaling you to finally slow down and enjoy your family and the life that you have built over time. Regardless of where he might be leading you in this season, I encourage you to count the cost before you embark on this beautiful season of life. We're going to explore what that looks like in today's episode. Be sure to stick around to the end where I share a story and an excerpt from my book about what can happen if we don't count the cost before we embark on our adventure.

Speaker: 0:47

Do you fear? What lies beyond retirement? What if it's a gateway to a life filled with purpose, meaning, and adventure rather than an end? Discover peace and fulfillment as you boldly enter this new chapter in Courageous Retirement, a Christian podcast. I'm your host, author, and coach Vona Johnson. Let's get started.

1:05

When Jesus talks about counting the cost in Luke 6:46, he's talking about that situation where one person built the house on the rock and another built the house on the sand. And when the storm came crashing in, we know what happened to the house on the sand, well, our lives can be like that too. If we don't build our lives on the rock of Jesus Christ, the foundation of biblical truth, when the storms of life hit, our whole lives can crumble around us. In my previous life as a housing finance professional, I quickly learned that any builder that didn't do due diligence when they were building an apartment complex, would risk the financial stability of that building going forward. And for years if they didn't put quality construction in and if they didn't count and figure out what it was gonna cost to manage and operate that property over time and get quality products at a good price, as well as charging the right rents There were gonna have problems down the road. The property needed to be managed well and any lack of quality or lack of care for the property, quickly reflected in the lack of care that the people who live there would have. Soon the property would be in such disrepair that it was almost impossible to turn it around. Our lives can seem to be that way too. We can head down a wrong path. And pretty soon we've gotten so far down that path that it feels that our lives can never be redeemed. One biblical character that I think of when I think of counting the cost is Zacchaeus. Now you're probably gonna remember Zacchaeus, as that we, little man who desperately wanted to see Jesus, and he was so desperate to see Jesus. That he climbed up into a tree because he couldn't see over the crowd. You may also remember that Jesus told him to come down because he was gonna go to his house that day. I know you got the song stuck in your mind now, don't you? What you may not have realized, or I didn't anyway as a child, was that it was shocking for that crowd to hear Jesus say that he was gonna go to Zacchaeus house because you see, Zacchaeus was a tax collector and he was considered to be an outcast from society. He was hated because not only was he considered to be a traitor to the Jews for going to work for the Romans, but he was also a cheat and he, he took a cut from their taxes whenever he could. He was an untouchable in the community. Who can you think of that you consider to be an untouchable in your community? Maybe it's someone with a differing political view. There's a lot of that going on these days. Maybe it's someone who behaves in a manner that you consider to be unacceptable. Maybe it's someone whose lifestyle is considered to be a sin in the Bible. How do you treat those people in your life? Do you avoid them? Do you turn the other way when you meet them in the grocery store? If so, I encourage you to consider that like Zaccheus, Jesus loves those people too, and he wants them to hear the good news of salvation every bit as much as he wanted you to hear the good news of salvation, he wants us all to be in heaven with him. Jesus doesn't want us to just hear about salvation and the life that we can have with him. He wants us to live out that life. He wants us to live out our biblical purpose like Zacchaeus. God wants us to have a change of heart and a change of behavior. He wants us to demonstrate our love for him and others in the way that we treat others. I love how one description I read recently described wisdom is not just knowing God's word but acting on it. Sadly, too many Christians in the world today love Jesus. But when they are asked to speak out about a cause that he has led them to, they may back down because of what others might think of them speaking out about, that. They may fear losing social status, or business if they call sin a sin They fear losing the lifestyle to which they've become accustomed to Many don't trust that God will take care of them when they follow him, and instead they cling to the promises of this world. Some know that there is a better path, but they hold back out of fear of what others will think of them. If they take that better path, they fear being hated and are afraid their family will leave them, so they go along to get along. The question is, in doing so, are they counting the cost? Are they willing to forego salvation in order to avoid having a difficult conversation or making an unpopular decision? In today's world, think of the rich young man who asked Jesus what it would take for him to gain salvation. When told to sell his belongings and give them to the poor, he walked away. The cost was just too much. If this rings true to you I would love to invite you to join me and some friends in a conversation titled More Than the Money, preparing for the Retirement That really matters. It's gonna be held virtually on August 27th, 2025, and it's free. If you're listening to this before that date, I want you to join us live. You can register using the link in the show notes or just reach out to me and, and I'll get you the information. If you're catching the show after that time again, reach out to me and I will try and get you the recording of the show. I think it's gonna be a really valuable conversation and I would love to have you join us. When we go all in for Christ, we're not promised an easy trouble free life. There will be times when it will be difficult to follow in Jesus' footsteps, but we need to know that he will give us the strength to get through those difficult conversations and those hard times. At the beginning of the show, I promised to share a personal story of counting the cost. I had no idea what it meant When I took the leap into retirement, I was clinging to this dream of being able to live a life of luxury, just working a couple of hours a week traveling, reading all kinds of books, laying on the beach whenever I wanted to. Even though I thought I was following God's lead, I didn't realize until later that I was so, so focused on the money and so focused on the success that I had let go of some of the real amazing gifts that God had in store for me. I spent so much money chasing that dollar, trying to prove my worth in the coaching world and find this perfect system but none of it worked. I was so desperate to make money that I lost sight of the mission to help others find peace and fulfillment Beyond retirement, I let go of my own peace. Along the way and found myself stressed out and overwhelmed trying to do it my way. I feel that the chapter titled The Success Shift in my book, A Different View, covers the topic Well. Here's an excerpt from the book. Most of us have it all wrong. We've traded up treasures in heaven for building wealth and power in this world. I'll bet you've heard and possibly used the term, I sold my soul to the devil to get something or another. Although we say it jokingly, the reality is many of us have. We've stopped going to church to work additional hours or gain greater recognition In the world of sports, we've cheated on the time clock at work in our relationships, and even in our own integrity to have more, more, more. But at what cost? At what point will Satan cash in on our chips and call in on his bet? You probably think I'm exaggerating, but listen to what James has to say about it all. Look here. You rich people weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away and your fine clothes are moth eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh in hell. This treasure you have accumulated will stand in evidence against you on the day of judgment. James 5:1-3(NLT). I know that sounds really harsh, but it's true. We put way too much weight on success as defined in this world. I wish I hadn't, but I got caught up in it too. Then one day. I realized that life didn't turn out the way I thought it would. It was turning out so much better. Life was full of struggles and challenges. Thankfully, each one of those struggles and challenges made me a better person. Life didn't happen to me. It happened for me. Yes, God could have answered some of my prayers differently, but I would've missed some of the lessons along the way. And the unbelievable relationship I now have with him if he had, looking back, I don't regret the path I've taken. Every wrong decision led me to exactly where I needed to learn the next lesson to serve God's purpose. Shifting my perspective from the worldview and seeing life from an eternal perspective helped me redefine success. And find true joy in my work. You see, only when God showed me his way was better and that he had provided everything I needed did I finally see the incredible life he'd already given me. I was living the life I really wanted, spending quality time with friends and family writing and podcasting, but I didn't see it because I was searching in all the wrong places. If that's you two, I encourage you to stop. Count the cost. What are you giving up and what would you gain if you let go of the worldly dream and started following where Jesus is leading you? Some will say it will cost you a lot to let go of the things of this world that bring comfort and ease. But when you realize that following your eternal purpose brings peace in this life and throughout eternity, that cost is absolutely worth it. I wanna thank you for joining me today, and I hope you'll come back in a couple of weeks where we're gonna talk about the Christian perspective of dementia, something that's very dear to my heart. But in the meantime, I just wanna thank you for stopping by and I pray that you will engage your faith in all areas of life that you will finish well and that you will live your more in your courageous retirement.