REPURPOSED NOT RETIRED

REPURPOSED NOT RETIRED
Thursday, August 21, 2025 by PEG ARNOLD

Categories: SPIRITUALITY

PLEASE WELCOME

PEG ARNOLD

HAVING THE PRIME OF MY LIFE

Have you ever had to give away or sell something that you love? Perhaps it was for financial reasons, a job change, or a move across the miles. Whatever the reason, letting go is never easy.

For me, the hardest decision was to leave my career as a school counselor and move from a home of 32 years across the country. After decades of building relationships in work, school, community, and church, God was nudging me in a new direction. Saying yes meant releasing my identity and stepping into the unknown, repurposing my passion for encouragement into a speaking and writing ministry in a brand-new geographical area.

Transitions like this are a lot like transplanting.

To move a tree, you must dig up its roots. It’s messy, it leaves a hole, and sometimes it looks like the tree won’t survive. But with care, new soil, and time, those same roots settle in, grow stronger, and even bear new fruit. That’s how this season feels—God has dug up my roots, and though the process is uncomfortable, He is replanting me in new soil where I can grow and thrive.

As I’ve walked through this transition, God has shown me four areas where He is repurposing my life:

My Thoughts

Without the familiar title of counselor, teacher, or notoriety in my community, I wrestled with identity questions. Through my quiet time, God revealed to me that my self-worth is not rooted in a career but in Christ, who continues to call and equip me. The primary fruits nurtured were now those in the areas of faith, family, friends, and ministry.

My Physical Life

Digging up roots and moving across the country took a toll on me. We were vagabonds for six weeks, eating out, sitting for long days of cross-country travel. In my new Colorado home, I make a conscious effort to schedule walks, healthy meals, and rest—three necessary practices to nurture the soil of this new season.

My Social Life

Leaving behind the familiar forest of “oak tree friends”—relationships that were deep-rooted, strong, and steady—was one of the most challenging parts of transition. Moving into an open space felt bare, and my first new connections were like annual flowers: lovely, colorful, and encouraging, but only for a season. I’ve learned that with time, God prepares new “plants” of friendship that eventually take root, offer beauty, and bring long-term joy.

My Spiritual Life

With fewer daily demands, I find that I have space to recharge in God’s Word and rejoice in His blessings. Like a transplanted tree that draws strength from deep water, I’m learning to sink my roots into His presence and trust Him for growth.

So, while retirement from a career closed one chapter, God is writing a new one. God is replanting me with purpose.

I am not retired. I am repurposed—growing new roots, bearing new fruit, and embracing the joys of this new season He has prepared.

ABOUT PEG ARNOLD

Speaker, author, and teacher is a Drama Queen for Jesus.

Her vibrant, interactive, and soul-stirring messages encourage all to embrace their God-given value. As a mom, wife, nana, mentor, and a master’s degree holder in counseling, she connects on a personal level by sharing the joys and challenges of her many life experiences through her dramas, messages, and witness. Whether talking with a friend over coffee or addressing hundreds of people at a conference, her passion for equipping women is contagious.

She has published two award-winning books: Devotions for the Distracted Heart and Making Your Message Memorable. Both are available on Amazon.

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Peg desires everyone to know that their story is powerful and has a purpose. She grew up in Michigan and raised her family in Maryland. Later in life, Peg and her husband relocated close to their family in Colorado.

Find out More

Website- www.pegarnold.org

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pegarnoldwow/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/arnoldpeg/

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