5.9 min read
June 4, 2024
Part 1: Are You on the Wrong Side of 50?
“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” Ps 71:17-18 (ESV).
The Psalm’s author testifies that throughout his life, God has been his help and his hope. In his youth, God taught him. In his senior years, God has purpose and power to give. So in youth and in maturity, God has been faithful. The same holds true for us all. In every stage of life there is something to gain and something to do for God. Still, some struggle to live well in the season God has for them.
Looking Over the Fence
It’s possible to think that we are on the wrong side of 50. If 50 years is a proximate marker of half of our lives, those on either side may look wistfully over the fence. The younger side can feel overwhelmed with raising families, forming careers, buying a home and building a life. They long for the time past 50, when the kids are established, careers are secure, the mortgage is paid, and the freedom of retirement knocks at their door. Those on the far side of 50 look to their youth and wish for muscles and joints that don’t creak or pop getting out of a chair. They long for the sound of family in the house, the purposeful energy of younger days and being in the center of things instead of the periphery. While our time is in God’s hands (Ps.31:15), we might prefer to be elsewhere. Those under 50 glance to the future, believing life will be easier. Those over 50 long for the past when life seemed easier. Sometimes we think we are on the wrong side of 50.
Cultural Bias
Our society doesn’t help. It is evident that our culture bends towards youth. In advertising, employee hiring, fashion, media, entertainment and countless unspoken messages, it is clear. It is better to be younger. Getting older is made to sound like a threat. We may try to deny and delay aging, but it can’t be defeated. Getting older is going to happen. While popular thought projects being over 50 as the worse side of life, God has a different perspective. The Biblical tone does not disparage age, quite the opposite. Senior years are a grace from God. Many of us assume that the far side of 50 is merely an extension of the near side of 50. We expect the second half of our life to be very similar to the first. We rarely give thought (nor are we taught) about the significant differences between the two halves. Our assumptions are challenged as we walk into new territory. It can confuse and jolt us. This transition of life is cliched as a “midlife crisis.” The crisis, mid-life or not, occurs when our future is not what we expected and we long for what was. We try to repeat the markers of youth as we enter a season we are unprepared for. Since we have never “been this old before,” we try to navigate with the means and tools that we depended upon to get us this far. Certainly, the first half of living is foundational for what is to come. But there will be new lessons to learn which require an adjustment on our part; new ways to approach life. All of this is by God’s design. He intends our early years to be a time of teaching, training and grounding for life and faith. Yet, foundations are not enough. They are meant to be built upon. In the second half of life God intends to take us farther – even deeper. The years past 50 are often the period in which God shapes us profoundly. He is moving us past the elemental lessons of life to matters which we can only learn as we trust Him through the more difficult decades of living. Entering the second half is much like entering white water rapids. It can be frightening and challenging. The later years come with health concerns, reduced capacity and energy, the loss of loved ones, a need to let go of space and possessions, and the impending knock of mortality. But these are the very conditions God uses to press the lessons of faith into our soul’s core. Superficial faith will not suffice. We must learn to trust Him more than we ever have. Trust Him for strength, hope, purpose and joy despite the pressures of aging. That is what the far side of 50 is all about. This series of articles is intended to help prepare us to navigate the transition of moving from the first half of life to the second. They are intended for those already past 50, to help them make godly sense of their challenges and struggles. The lessons of maturity are not automatic. They must be learned. But these articles are also for those who see 50 coming, even if it is on a far horizon. If anyone thinks they are immune to the challenges to come, they are naive. It’s better to be informed and prepared. We do not improve simply over time, but by a purposeful transition of perspective and intent. The coming articles are written on the premise that God is using our experience of aging to move us towards spiritual values. As Paul explains, “…though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day…” (2 Cor.4:16). What is the shape of that renewal? We will discuss the transitions of moving… Regardless of your stage of life, you are invited to consider the intent of God for your soul throughout your years. It will require a disengagement from our cultural norms, the wisdom of foresight to prepare for what you will experience, and faith in the Hand of God who began a good work in you and will see it through to the end. [1] Ruth 4:15, Isa.40:31,46:4, Ps.91:16 [2] Lev.19:32, Job 12:12, 1 Tim.5:1,2Midlife Crisis
Half Time Adjustments
Written by : Scott Tolhurst
Scott is the Director of Ministry Communications for Back to the Bible Canada. Through 5 decades Scott's passion has been to communicate the Word of God from the pulpit, in group discussions, personal conversations and printed text. He describes his journey as," Moving by love. Borne by faith. Looking with hope. All of it grace.
