The Headwaters Blog

Exit Strategy

Pull that chair up a little closer. I've got something important to talk to you about.

I’ve sit and listened to the younger fellows talk. A lot of them in their forties and fifties, right in the thick of their earning years. They use a lot of big, shiny words they learned in business, and one of them is: "Exit Strategy."

How to exit their business, how to cash out their stocks, how to retire by fifty-five, and how to pass things on to the next generation. They spend hours huddled over spreadsheets, calculating percentages and plotting out the perfect getaway.

I just sit here, sip my coffee, and smile. Because when you get to my side of the mountain, you start to realize something real plain: most folks spend all their time planning an exit strategy for a game that matters somewhat, but completely ignoring the exit strategy we all have to face.

Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with being smart with your money or planning for retirement. God gave you a brain; you ought to use it. But the world’s version of an exit strategy has a big flaw. If your exit strategy only gets you to the graveyard, it ain't much of a strategy.

The ultimate exit strategy isn't something you can't buy. It’s Heaven. And the only way into that is through faith and absolute trust in God. When you truly secure your heavenly exit strategy, it changes the entire way you live right now. It takes the pressure off.

You stop white-knuckling your possessions. When you know your true inheritance is waiting for you in glory, you don't panic when the stock market takes a dip. You realize you're just a steward of this earthly stuff anyway.

You lose the fear of aging. Young folks are terrified of getting old. They spend fortunes trying to look twenty-five forever. But when Heaven is your destination, gray hair and wrinkles are just signs that you’re getting closer to the front door of home.

You get a deeper peace. You can sleep at night because the ultimate transition isn't up to how much you can figure things out. It’s got it's anchor in the promise of the Almighty.

So, if you’re out there grinding away, trying to figure out how to transition out of your job or make your earthly future secure, take a deep breath. Keep working hard, keep providing for your family, but don't lose your mind over it.

The real exit strategy was settled two thousand years ago on a rugged cross. When you are born again your entry fee is paid in full. Your seat is reserved. All you have to do is put your trust in the One who holds the keys to eternity.

When your time comes to exit this life—and it comes for us all, believe me—you don't want to be looking back at a pile of paper wealth that’s about to burn up. You want to look forward, pull your boots off, and walk into the Kingdom knowing you’re finally right where you belong.

Go on inside, check on your family, and make sure your ultimate paperwork is in order with the Lord. Everything else is just details.