5:138 Midlife Crises or Growth?

#faithbites #faithjourney midlife

Intro

Graduations, job transitions, funerals, friends moving away. All of these things can make you think. From thinking about what’s next to reminiscing about the past to imagining where I want to be, it’s been a crazy few weeks. I don’t think I’m alone in that.

Yesterday I posted this on Facbeook:

I want to sit on a porch overlooking a lake, drink cold ice tea, and talk for hours to a dear friend, with no responsibilities that night or the next morning.

I want to relive some of those nights at Illinois College, in Gardner Hall, eating pizza and talking about life, the universe, and everything. The only thing I had to worry about was getting up for class the next morning.

I want to just be open and honest fully, spend time with someone, without having to do something, go somewhere, or be responsible for something.

We need time to truly unwind, and explore our thoughts, feelings, and interests, without having to rush away for responsibilities. Without that space, we can’t grow.

And…I want to just cry. Let out all of those emotions that have no words. Those friends lost, opportunities passed, and changed dreams. Just cry for no reason other than to just cry. Then to truly be filled up by faith, God, and Friends.

Is this a midlife crisis or just becoming what God has envisioned for me? God made us perfect. He gave us all the skills and abilities to grow and change into his perfect creation. The question is how do we do it? How do we know what’s right?

Questions

• How do you know if it’s a midlife crisis or if you are just depressed?
• Does calling it a midlife crisis help or hurt as you grow?
• What can you do to find solace during this time?

Scripture

• Ecclesiastes 2:10–11– “My heart took delight in all my labor,
  and this was the reward for all my toil.
  Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
  and what I had toiled to achieve,
  everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
  nothing was gained under the sun
• Proverbs 20:29 – The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.
• Philippians 3:13-15 – Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Reflection

Our Ecclesiastes reading is a prime example of a midlife crisis. Looking back on your work and seeing that it was meaningless. I know what I have done has had an impact, but it’s often hard to see what it is. Proverbs shows us that there is greatness in all seasons of our lives. That we need to embrace where we are at and move forward. Which, as Philippians tells us, we need to not yearn for the past but look forward to the future as that is the prize that is promised by Jesus and we get to live in that life.

My father passed away at 61. I’m now 45, so if this is midlife, I’d be 90 when I die. I’d love that to be the case. I know God knows when my time is up and it’s up to me to live as he wants me to live no matter what I may want. But because he made me wonderfully, his goals are my goals. But accepting it and getting there is a challenge. It’s not easy to look at the past, enjoy your present (as it is a present), and work for tomorrow.

As we close, remember it’s ok to be down and wondering what’s next. It’s ok to have a midlife crisis. Just know that God is there with you and will lead you to your next place. As a friend once said, “It’s ok to stop. Just don’t forget to start again”.

Prayer

Father God, I’m feeling a bit lost now. Trying to find my goals amidst a sea of change. Help all of us as we are dealing with transitions, midlife crises, or anything that is heavy on our hearts. We know you have the answers and will always protect us. We turn this over to you and in your name pray, Amen.