A midlife crisis is a term used to describe the feelings of dissatisfaction, self-doubt, and anxiety that can occur in middle adulthood, typically between the ages of 40-60. While the term “midlife crisis” is not found in the Bible, the Bible does speak to many of the issues that can trigger these feelings during this stage of life.
1. The fleeting nature of life
As people enter midlife, they become increasingly aware of the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life (James 4:14). Whereas youth seems endless, middle age brings a stark realization that life is short. “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). This awareness can trigger an existential crisis, causing people to question if they are making the most of the time they have left.
2. Unmet expectations
By midlife, dreams and expectations for career, family, and achievements have had time to meet reality. Yet reality often looks different than one’s youthful visions. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). When hopes and dreams are unmet after years of effort, it can spur disillusionment and prompt an identity crisis as people ask, “Is this all there is?”
3. Shifting priorities and purpose
With midlife comes shifting priorities. “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come…when the keepers of the house tremble…and the strong men stoop” (Ecclesiastes 12:1,3). As physical vitality decreases, spiritual priorities often increase. Questions of meaning and legacy can take on new urgency. “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Amid these shifts, people may struggle to redefine their purpose.
4. Stagnation
By midlife, ruts can become deep. Marriages grow stale (Song of Solomon 5:2-6). Careers plateau. Spiritual lives wither through neglect. “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns” (Jeremiah 2:13). In stagnation, people lose their first love (Revelation 2:4). Amid boredom and dryness, a thirst for adventure and change can arise.
5. Marriage struggles
Marriages often struggle in midlife. With kids grown, spouses rediscover each other and realize how they’ve drifted apart through distraction and neglect. “I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap” (Ecclesiastes 7:26). An affair seems enticing. For others, singlehood stretches on interminably. “It is better to live alone in a desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife” (Proverbs 21:19). For single and married alike, loneliness and longing peak at midlife.
6. Regret over past mistakes
By midlife, poor choices and past sins reap consequences. “Remember then, what you have been. Remember how you have thrown yourselves down” (Ezekiel 16:63). Whether moral failures, unwise financial decisions, or relational hurts, past mistakes haunt people. Though God offers forgiveness and redemption, people often struggle to forgive themselves. Lingering guilt and shame fuel regrets over what might have been.
7. Fear of aging and death
Aging brings unwelcome changes. “The days of our life are seventy years, and if by reason of strength they be eighty years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10 KJV). Despite today’s medical advances, mortality remains inescapable. For those unprepared, death incites existential angst. Thoughts of aging and dying prompt people to grapple with eternity and their spiritual condition.
8. Teenage children and caregiving pressures
Midlife adults often face pressures from both aging parents and teenage children. “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” (Isaiah 40:30).”Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). Caring for aging parents while guiding increasingly independent teenagers can squeeze people between generations, leaving little time for self. Burnout results.
9. Hormonal changes
Women’s midlife brings menopause, interrupting reproductive patterns and causing physical and emotional turbulence. Men’s testosterone declines, impacting drive and vitality. “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Such hormones changes can affect energy, moods, sleep, and sex drive in unfamiliar ways. Marriages struggle to adjust to “the change.”
10. Changing social roles
Midlife brings new social roles. Grown children move out. Parents die. Roles shift from mentee to mentor. “Children’s children are a crown to the aged” (Proverbs 17:6). Empty nests change marital and family dynamics. Leadership opportunity arises. Yet these new roles also require change and adaptation. Such shifting landscape prompts identity crisis for some.
What does the Bible offer those facing a midlife crisis?
Hope and reassurance in God
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4). God remains constant amid life’s changes. He redeems past mistakes, offers second chances, and brings meaning to life’s fleeting latter years. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
Wisdom and perspective
“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12). Those who walk with God gain hard-won perspective to help navigate midlife’s crossroads. “Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them” (Hosea 14:9). Biblical wisdom brings clarity amid confusion.
Spiritual renewal
Times of spiritual dryness or disillusionment signal need for renewal. “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD” (Lamentations 3:40). Through repentance, revival fires can reignite passion and purpose. “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3 KJV). God graciously renovates those who seek Him. “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). With God, it’s never too late for a fresh start.
Eternal perspective
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). Midlife prompts perspective about life’s brevity and legacy. By focusing on eternity, earthly troubles and passing years find proper context. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). The best is yet to come for those in Christ.
Identity in Christ
Amid shifting roles and relationships, believers have unchanging identity in Christ. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). No matter what changes or choices, God’s love remains constant. He redeems and repurposes people. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Conclusion
While the term “midlife crisis” does not come from the Bible, Scripture speaks poignantly into the inner struggles common to this life stage. Whether disillusioned by unmet dreams, shattered expectations, past regrets, or the awareness of aging, God offers hope, wisdom, spiritual renewal, eternal perspective, and identity in Christ to stabilize and strengthen midlife believers. By drawing near to Him during this turbulent crossroads, He redeems life’s fleeting latter years for good.
