The Midlife Crisis
Midlife, for some, feels a lot like teetering on the edge of a cliff, staring down at all that's passed by, looking out with an uncertain gaze toward what's ahead.
The energy of youth is waning, and the quest for purpose grows louder and more insistent. Quite possibly, you will catch yourself wondering, "What am I really here for?"
The Midlife Drift
Imagine you are driving down the road, windows down, music on high. It feels great, enjoying all the things you're seeing, hearing, doing—all very new at every turn.
But after each mile, the feeling of excitement starts to fade away, and one becomes a bit lost. That thrill starts to fade, and one is hit with the realization that maybe they are no longer headed in the right direction.
That's what midlife can feel like. Where did those goals—set up in your 20s and 30s—get you? The kids grow up, careers level out, and life's daily grind becomes more and more visible.
An Unexpected Wake-Up Call
I recall a friend, whom we'll call only by her first name, Sue. Shortly after her 45th birthday, all was well: she was successful in her career, had her loving family, and a beautiful home, yet something was missing.
She was just feeling an emptiness inside like her life was half there and not very fulfilling. She looked at a pile of old photo albums one day and reminisced.
The good times seemed richer and full of texture then; she knew that she'd been busy ticking the boxes life threw her way, but inwardly, she hadn't really stopped to think: "What does it all mean?
The story of Sue is not unique. In fact, it's a chapter in many of our lives. General feeling of drift, which provides the sense of disorientation and, "We don't know what we're doing here and we don't know where to go from here."
But this can be the beginning of something so powerful it can be unimaginable—purpose.
Meaning-making in the midst of midlife usually happens when one must stop, look back, and recollect how much life really matters and redefine his or her life.
Scary?
Definitely.
Yet at this midlife mark, there is a chance to create a new definition of what life can really mean, to reframe it. As written
Ecclesiastes 3:1, New Living Translation (NLT),
"For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."
Literally, midlife is a season—a time not for the end of the road but for steering into what will bring sweet joy and satisfaction.
A Whole New Perspective
Imagine that midlife is like turning to the second chapter in this book called life. You were learning things about yourself and the world in those first chapters, and now is the time to really apply the knowledge.
The best time to recalibrate your values and align actions in the pursuit of those values is at this moment. What stirs your passion? What will be your legacy? Those can be really big questions, but at the essence, it is what fulfills purpose.
Well, for Sue, she chose to lighten her professional load and become a volunteer at a shelter. It wasn't glamorous, but it brought her deep fulfillment.
Her evenings, once filled with endless work emails, were now spent mentoring young women who were facing some of the same hurdles she overcame.
The Power of Faith
Another friend, Mike, got mugged by a situation much like mine. He had spent decades climbing the greasy pole, reached the top, looked around, and—so to speak—wondered, "Is this it?"
Aching to fix the hollowness in his soul, he began to find solace in his spirituality. He seized Psalm 138:8: "The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever."
It was then that Mike started to realize that his purpose was not all about success in a career. He focused on lighting his community and, in return, started a small group at his church for others to find their way toward living a life of purpose.
Right away, it changed him and those around him.
Embrace the Journey
But finding meaning from midlife is not something that really involves a great revelation, a 180-degree turn, or doing something suddenly and really different.
It's just about those changes that can really come in small but very deliberate steps as you move forward to live a life that you believe in, one that really expresses your deeply cherished principles.
Embrace this season as a journey, and not the destination. Remember, you are not out in this thing alone; plenty have walked this path and gained a more fundamental, insightful sense of purpose amidst the voyage.
Ponder about it, from where you have come and where you think you are going:
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." —Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Midlife can be the most meaningful time of your life so far—a time to refocus, find new meaning in things you love to do, and re-envision what's possible in the second half of life.
Scripture References:
Ecclesiastes3:1 LEB
Psalms 138:8 LEB
Jeremiah 29:11 LEB
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