Aging by Stages

It's not uncommon for a young person to want to hurry up and get older for the explicit purpose of having more freedom and privileges. The conflicts of late adolescence and young adulthood tend to center around identity issues that include separating from family of origin.

All too soon the days of youth are left behind, and aging seems to accelerate. The first real hint of this phenomenon shows up around thirty. Up to this point you've been considered a young person, but now you’re thrust into middle age, which may bring on an identity crisis that may have been brewing for years.

The Apostle Paul’s secured life made a radical shift from persecutor of Christians to someone commissioned to carry the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the Roman Empire. Aging within each stage of adult development includes defining what kind of follower of Jesus you aspire to be. Fulfilling God’s design and purpose for you produces joy, confidence and great expectations for all eternity. 

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So be very careful to act exactly as God commands you. Don’t veer off to the right or the left. Walk straight down the road God commands so that you’ll have a good life and live a long time in the land that you’re about to possess.

~Deuteronomy 5:32-33 The Message

Choosing a New Perspective - Part 3

Losing perspective on the purpose and direction of one's life often happens during what is known as mid-life. The majority of individuals have skills that will sustain them throughout adulthood to insure productivity until retirement, but there are phases of life when the future may seem uncertain. This uncertainty and doubt may create anxiety or even depression.

Moving into mid-life sometimes means experiencing an identity crisis often associated with the loss of youthful looks and energy. Healthy change may mean obtaining a new perspective on what to do with the skills, knowledge, and wisdom - both learned and given by God's grace and kindness. Most everyone realizes that hoarding these treasures is unrewarding and unfulfilling.

Luke 18:18 relates a story about a man of position and prestige who came to Jesus concerned about his immortality and asked how to be assured of eternal life. The choice Jesus gave him was to give away what is transient and follow him. He would then have peace and assurance. Jesus does not ask us to do what is impossible, but what promises abundant life.