Musings On Mid-life

Lately, I've been thinking about aging. While my so-called mid-life crisisofnearing, then turning forty years old is long over, thank God, I am yetagain pondering the issue of age, more specifically, accomplishing all I wantto accomplish before I get too old. My biggest concern isthat I will wake up one day and find out I have serious regrets; issues thatcould have been easily resolved when I was more physically and mentally able.

The other night, I thought of my life; where it has been andwhere it is going. It was not so long ago that I was a teen, thinking thesesame thoughts, the only difference was, the future held so much more time.It seemed more acceptable to procrastinate as a much younger womanbecause I knew I had so many more years before me.

Now, here I am, forty years old, and suddenly, time does not seem like such agracious commodity. I find myself thinking of seizing time, rather thanletting it slowly wash over me as so many people do.

Ancient Eastern philosophy suggests that age forty is a time of wisdom.Imagine that! Here I was dreading turning forty for the last few years, andaccording to the Eastern ancients, I am not "over the hill," but at the primeof my wisdom!

In the Bible, we are told to search for wisdom as fervently as we would theriches of the world. How often do we do just the opposite, and search forearthly riches, while neglecting the most precious; spiritual wisdom?

Perhaps, this mid-life reality check is God's way of reminding us what istruly important in life, because, although our bodies may begin to show signsof wear and tear, we can rejoice in the fact our souls will gainno wrinkles, no shades of gray, or loss of firmness. Like a fine wine thatimproves with age, we have the potential to reach higher and improved statesof spiritual and emotional health, becoming more the inner beauties God wouldhave us be!

I do not fear death, but I do fear not reaching my potential.There is nothing I can do to control getting older, but ICANcontrolHOWIwill use the remainder of my time on this earth, and it is my vow to use itwisely.

Recently, a friend questioned me about a particularfacet of my spiritual walk. I concluded that life would seem very shallow ifI had no spiritual purpose. For me, a life without God, would be an existencesimilar to that of an animal. I would eat, sleep, and partake of a few bodilypleasures, only to one day die and wither away. What a tragedy this wouldbe, yet how many people live exactly such a life, not knowing the goodness ofGod?

When all is said and done, it is not really aging we dread, but not livinglife to the fullest. If we are to reach our greatest potentials, then wemust never turn our back on our spiritual essence, nor on its creator, God.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

email this message to a friend   |   DW Home

Contributed by Melanie Schurr (Copyright (c)2003 Melanie Schurr) Melanie Schurr is author of "Ecstatic Living Ecstatic Loving: How to have more peace and joy in marriage, and life in general by walking in harmony with God," and "Son Salutations: A refreshing collection of modern inspirations for those who seek God each day." For more information, visit her web page at www.angelfire.com/mi/melschurr