20: Life’s Transitional Stages

And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in everything he might be preeminent.

COLOSSIANS 1:18

DENISE AND I ARE WIRED to be goal oriented. We have set goals as a family since our boys were in public school. It probably drove them a bit nuts as we encouraged them at the beginning of each new year to set goals for the coming year.

Our goals change throughout our lives as our experiences, abilities, and interests change and develop. Christian life coach Bobb Biehl asks us to look back and then ahead in increments of ten years.[1] Looking back can reveal things that have shaped and formed us. Then looking ahead for the next decade helps us to further develop a focus on what we want to change and to identify things that could hold us back from becoming the person we’d like to be.

Biehl provides us with a descriptor of each decade of our lives from the 20s to the 90s. I’m intrigued by his summaries and share them below, starting with the 50s. As you consider each stage of life and the goals that you might set for yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thinking so that you become more like Jesus and understand what God desires for you in each season of life.

50s —Stride. Your career is established. You may be feeling old, so you begin paying more attention to your health. This is the decade to become a mentor and to continue to have a mentor. Think about and write down the milestones that have shaped you into who you are today.

60s —Strategic. Your energy and drive begin to decrease; however, strategic thinking increases. This can be the most productive decade of your life through influence, accomplishments, and spiritual maturity.

70s —Succession. We need to give thought to estate planning and be available for significant mentoring opportunities. This can be the second most productive decade of your life. With today’s health care advancements, those who are seventy-five have as much energy as their parents did at sixty-five.

80s —Joyful Uncertainties. We experience fewer demands and less stress. We have nothing to prove and should be secure in our faith with loyal friendships established. At the same time, friends and acquaintances have increasing health issues or are dying. Our own personal health can be uncertain and there could be financial concerns.

90s —Increasing Marginalization. There is a decline of physical abilities, and heaven is frequently in our thoughts. Life goes by so quickly, and when we look back ten years, it seems like yesterday.

Colossians 1:18 gives us a great reality: Christ is supreme. May He be everything to us in our seasons of life, whatever decade we find ourselves in.

Questions

  1. What’s the one thing you’d most like to learn in this decade of life?
  2. What’s one thing you learned in the last decade that has most impacted who you are at this point in your life?
  3. What do you want to have accomplished for God by the end of this decade or the next?
  4. What Scriptures have been a particular blessing over the decades of your life?
  5. How does this devotional help you focus on God’s best for this decade?