Mid-life Crisis?
Although I'm not there yet, 60 years old is looming on the horizon. And, if I'm honest - which I try really hard to be when I write so that you all can learn from my mistakes - there's been an extreme discomfort in these mid-life years. There's been...
- an ongoing humbling of sorts (after a lifetime of self-righteousness)
- a growing lack of willpower (after a lifetime of discipline)
- a spiritual reckoning (after a lifetime of thinking I knew it all), and
- a physical breakdown (after a lifetime of being healthy and physically fit).
But, allow me to encourage you with this truth: As I walk daily with the Lord, these present discomforts are being used by him to transform the way I think and act...from the inside out. In addition, this transformation seems to be happening in the dim regions of my personality, in places not yet touched by the deep intervention of the Holy Spirit. And although I AM uncomfortable, this discomfort is producing new realities...
- where self-righteousness tended to be my default position, grace is abounding more and more
- where having discipline in all aspects of my life took precedence, the Holy Spirit-granted fruit of self-control is tasting sweet
- where "thinking I knew it all" about the Bible was the norm, I'm being given fresh eyes and a growing hunger for God's Word, and
- where fitness, style and healthy eating were all that physically mattered, there's a growing compassion for others and acceptance of myself in my heart.
And friends...this all is happening because God allowed discomfort, pain and suffering in my life. Hard to accept? Not for me. These trials are a welcome gift because they're forcing me to come face to face with the "wonders of redeeming love AND my unworthiness" (Beneath the Cross of Jesus by Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1830-1869).
My advice at 51? View hardships as opportunities for extreme spiritual growth. Because [Discomfort and trials] are better than laughter because they have a refining influence on our character (Ecclesiastes 7:4, emphasis mine). Still too hard to grasp? Email or Facebook me; I'd love to pray with you across the miles.