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A Mid-life Spiritual Crisis
Wednesday’s Wisdom – Have you ever had a mid-life crisis? The fact it is called a crisis should be a warning! Usually, this tumult happens in middle age when people are reminded how short life is. For men it too often results in a destroyed marriage and fast cars. What about a spiritual mid-life crisis? Did the last 1.5-year cause people of all ages to go through a “mid-life crisis”? The pandemic gave everyone that reminder of life’s brevity. Unfortunately, mid-life crises don’t lead to more devotion to God, but rather devotion to self. This can be seen in how people turn to materialism and worldliness. Many young people turned away from God and His ways, probably using the situation to do what they already were thinking. The absence of “going to church” became their excuse to turn more worldly. But think about this, materialism and worldliness can be masked as “spirituality” when we worship God according to the ways of the world instead of his ways.
Joe Works made a wonderful point in connecting the Uzzah story to a former narrative. The Israelites were carrying the ark on a new cart (sounds reverential) being pulled by a cow (2 Samuel 6). This was contrary to revelation (Exodus 25:14; Deuteronomy 31:9). Where did they get the idea of a cow pulling a cart? The Philistines delivered it back to Israel on a cart pulled by two cows (1 Samuel 6). God allowed them to do it, so why not the Israelites? Sadly, the people in David’s day relied more on how non-covenant people showed reverence to God than on how God instructed his people to show reverence.
This pandemic is having and has had an emotional impact on people far beyond what they realize. Big decisions should not be made during big emotional periods. Whether being stuck inside, having to miss assembling in person, seeing others get sick and die, or something else, all can lead to rethinking one’s life and decisions. Such is not necessarily bad when we allow it to turn us closer to God and his will. Don’t go through a mid-life crisis. Go through the crisis of conscience and turn to Jesus’ life.
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