“I worked as an investment advisor for 27 years, to large pools of capital – hundreds of millions of dollars. We were dealing in billions. And I always wanted to do a good job, to help the recipients. If I did a bad job with the money, there were serious consequences for lots of people.”

“Recently, though, I started to wonder. How much of ‘me’ is being defined by this job that I do? How attached am I to the idea of being in demand? Will I be able to cope if all these important people (chief executives) stop calling me? Will I miss business lunches?

“A year ago, I decided to finish work. It was a bit earlier than I planned, and I’m still working it out. But I’ve been thinking about the concept of being steadfast. The Bible says that steadfastness is a characteristic of God (Psalm 6:4), so it’s important for my salvation. But also when I get to the end of my life, I want people to say that I was steadfast. I want to be true to my word my whole life, not just until I retired. And I’m learning that being steadfast or trustworthy is not just important in the finance world, it’s important wherever I am – with my wife and sons, at church, or helping the old fellows take their boat to Queensland.

“That can be challenging as well, but I want to be a witness with my whole life. It’s like Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord …” And for me, now, in the finance world, all the important people have stopped calling me, and emailing me.

“I’m not an important person anymore… but it doesn’t matter. I know that I’m running the race until the end.”

Theo’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.