A Tale of Two Signs: Play and Purpose

The sign on the border of Sun City, Arizona, reads, “Welcome to The Original Fun City: SUN CITY ARIZONA.” At least it did for decades. As Marc Freedman writes in Primetime: How Baby Boomers Will Redefine Retirement and Transform America, “The Del Webb Corporation, in the late ’50s and ’60, was marketing the retirement vision around the life of leisure in opening Sun City, Arizona.”

But as I drove by that same spot recently on Bell Road, I noticed the sign had been changed. It now reads, “Welcome To The Original Sun City: City of Volunteers.” I wondered if Sun City was undertaking a subtle shift in the branding as a retirement community—not simply as a playground for the retired but as an active, engaged community of seniors giving back to their community. Could the town leaders have finally realized that a life devoted to leisure is less fulfilling than one of service to humankind?

Living, Playing, and Serving in Sun City

Don’t get me wrong, Sun City remains an active place to play. The current website for Sun City still states, “Sun City Arizona is The Original Fun City.” As I write this, my wife and I are spending the winter and spring months in a family condo in Surprise, bordered by Sun City, Sun City West, and Sun City Grand (now known simply as “The Grand”). Plenty of folks here enjoy golfing, biking, swimming, playing tennis, billiards, cards, shuffleboard, and pickleball. In the evening, they can take in a variety of tribute bands playing their favorite hits from the ’50s to the ’70s. Around the Valley of the Sun is a wide array of cultural and sporting events. What used to be a Builder generation crowd in these communities has now been replaced, for the most part, by active, retiring Baby Boomers.

While leisure activities may provide much enjoyment to one’s life, active retirees in the third third of life have a profound opportunity to discover a sense of purpose and fulfillment through volunteering in service to their church, community, and the world. Many folks in Sun City and the Valley are doing just that. Leona and I recently volunteered as ushers for Spring Training with the Peoria Diamond Club in Peoria, Arizona, where the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres are based. While we were able to watch Spring Training games for free, we also contributed to the greater good by supporting the nonprofit Peoria Diamond Club, which “supports community programs that educate and enrich children’s lives while enhancing their futures.”

While leisure activities may provide much enjoyment to one’s life, active retirees in the third third of life have a profound opportunity to discover a sense of purpose and fulfillment through volunteering in service to their church, community, and the world.

What The Bible Says about Serving Others

As Christians, serving others is at the heart of our gospel. Jesus tells us, “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, NRSV). In his parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus commends those who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed strangers, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and imprisoned, affirming that whatever they did for the least of these, they did for him (Matthew 25: 31-40).

As Christians, serving others is at the heart of our gospel.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul instructs believers to “serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13, NIV). And James asks, “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (James 2:15-16, NRSV).

The Benefits of Serving Others

Aside from the biblical injunctions to serve, there are many benefits to volunteering one’s time to serve the needs of others, not the least of which is re-discovering a sense of purpose. Transitioning from one’s career into retirement can result in a great void in one’s life. As Wayne W. Dyer wrote, “If you are what you do, then when you don’t, you aren’t.”  I watched as Jason Kelce wept on camera when he announced his retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles.

But retirement doesn’t have to be a meaningless time of loss. As Ken Dychtwald writes in With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Life and Work,

“This can be an exciting and liberating time as you begin to think about your life not as a mission accomplished, but as a time for finding a new purpose that will give you a life of meaning and might just become your most joyous and nourishing time on earth.”

Richard Leider suggests that most people want to know that their lives have meaning—a reason to get up in the morning. As individuals grow older, he emphasizes, having a clear sense of what you are on earth to be and to do becomes increasingly important.

Considering How You Might Serve Others

There are myriad opportunities to consider when you decide to volunteer your time. Before you jump in, take the time to consider these questions:

• What are the needs of my church or community?
• Where can I make a significant contribution?
• What am I interested in?
• What skills or life experience do I have to offer?
• What am I passionate about?
• What am I motivated to do?

Finding a Sense of Purpose through Serving Others

I suppose both signs on the border of Sun City can be true. Sun City is a place for fun and fulfillment, for play and purpose, as volunteers give back to their community through service. A third sign entering Sun City suggests “Find Your Purpose,” advertising a local university. While that is vital for college students, it can be even more so for those in their third third of life.

Volunteering in one’s church or community cannot ultimately answer the existential question of why you are here, but it might just give you a reason to get off the couch and provide you with a great sense of purpose by serving others.