Go for the Heart
GO FOR THE HEART
As mentioned earlier, leisure is not necessarily the villain, and love for grandchildren is certainly not the enemy. Leisure pursuits and spending time with grandchildren can, in fact, provide great inroads to making disciples. But often shallower purposes such as "living the good life" and “spoiling the grandkids” prevail. Following Christ's command to make disciples may be completely off our radar. That's the bigger problem.
With a lot of retirees, we do better with shorter-term, bite-size commitments that don't put a kibosh on their travel plans. While some could be putting their own travel agenda ahead of God's, let God sort that out, and allow Him to work on their hearts over time. Show patience.
As leaders we must guard our hearts from placing extraneous expectations on believers. It can become similar to how the Gentiles felt when the Jews insisted male converts become circumcised. The Gentiles were excited about their newfound freedom in Christ, only to be hit with legalism. Freedom in itself is a very good and desirable commodity---it was for freedom that Christ set us free. (Circular logic from Galatians 5:1).
Let serving find its proper context as the best fulfillment of our freedom---not as a blockade to freedom.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13 NIV)