At the

Crossroads

M SA E PL d n a , d o G , You your midlife years ™

ISBN: 9780892651443 © 2009 Randall House ­Copying, distributing, or sharing this study beyond the use of the purchasing church or single campus site is a breach of ethics and illegal. It is also a breach of the license agreement to remove this statement from the study or from any customized or derivative study. To purchase this study or others like it, visit http://AccessBibleStudies.com

At the Crossroads: You, God, and Your Midlife Years INTRODUCTION

It is difficult to read any magazine or newspaper article these days without seeing some reference to “Baby Boomers”—the huge group of 7+ million individuals born between 1946 and 1964. Boomers now have arrived at their midlife years; and, because of them, midlife has become an important topic. This study of midlife spirituality has been written to help middle-aged adults grow closer to God during their midlife years.

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But, midlife is about more than the emergence of gray hairs and some hard-to-control waistlines. Midlife often is a time when individuals review their experiences, ponder the future, and take stock of life’s meaning. These considerations inevitably lead midlifers to God. With their own mortality creeping up on them, even midlife adults who never had a relationship with God begin to examine their spirituality. Midlife is a golden opportunity to review and renew our relationship with God and gain valuable insights from our own life stories that reveal how God has led us to where we are and how He can help us prepare for later life. These sessions focus on the unique spiritual crossroads of midlife. By exploring these crossroads with God and His Word as guides, small group members can gain a clearer understanding of their pasts, live more fully in the present, and approach older age with the peace and confidence only God can provide.

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Note to Leader:

Advertising this Bible study is very important. Below are some short descriptions for you to use in a church bulletin, newsletter, email, phone calls, text messages, Facebook events, and more. AARP Wants to Contact You—And So Does God: In this first lesson, we consider the “shock” of realizing that we’re old enough to join AARP, who wastes no time or effort contacting us to sign up. Class Reunions: In this second lesson, we look back at some earlier versions of ourselves and ask: “How have I changed? Do I view God differently now than when I was younger? If so, how? Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Our third lesson leads us to explore our attitudes about aging, comparing our perspectives and God’s. When I’m 64—And Older: In this final lesson, we look ahead to our later life and examine our preparations both materially and spiritually. If you use PowerPoint, there are suggestions for slides found in the lessons. Each lesson has reproducible handouts for you to use. The main lesson is for you–it is written to you. This curriculum is written to be discussion driven and application oriented. We have provided tips for you along the way to help you and the group feel comfortable discussing the various topics.

Access Downloadable Curriculum • Introduction

Session One

AARP WANTS TO CONTACT YOU—AND SO DOES GOD MATERIALS NEEDED • Bibles • Student Handouts • Extra pens or pencils • Small pieces of paper in a shoebox with Bible verses

LESSON OBJECTIVE Group members will understand why midlife is such an important time for spiritual growth and commit to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen their relationship with God.

CONNECT

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To begin this lesson, give each participant a copy of the handout, “Birthday Candles.” It shows a selection of terms to describe how they felt at certain “milestone” birthdays. Give your group a few minutes to complete the handout. Tell them that they can circle more than one letter for each question and write in their own term if they want for “Other: ____.” If some participants have not yet reached their 50th birthday, tell them they can use their 40th birthday. Once everyone has finished, go over the question, asking for volunteers to share answers. Ask participants: How many circled the same terms for all three birthdays? Please describe how the terms you circled changed from one birthday to another? How were the terms similar? Segue into the CONSIDER section by saying, Aging is something we all do; yet we may have very different feelings about getting older, depending on our histories and our circumstances. When we turn 50, AARP sends us a birthday greetings and invites us to join the organization. Suddenly, we’re forced to think about getting older. God also would like to send us a midlife birthday greeting and invite us to join Him for a heart-to-heart talk at this crossroads in our lives.

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CONSIDER

Ask your group members: What changes do you think about most as you get older? The list might include: (POSSIBLE POWERPOINT SLIDE) • Physical changes—How might my health change as I get older? What if I get sick or have a heart attack? What if I have problems with my eyes and can’t drive anymore? How can I avoid some diseases and physical problems of older age? • Social changes—Women: How can I remain youthful looking? Men: How can I maintain my virility? All: What happens to my family if I get sick or die? What if my spouse gets sick or dies before me? What if my children come back to live with me? How do I relate to “second” or “third” sets of in-laws? • Financial changes—Have I saved enough to retire? Can I ever retire? Do I have enough life insurance to provide for my family? Do I need a “living will”? • Spiritual concerns—Am I afraid to die? I have never been very religious. Does that matter? I used to believe in God, but I don’t anymore. Does that mean I’m going to hell?

Access Downloadable Curriculum • Session 1 AARP Wants to Contact You–And So Does God

Ask your group to write and answer the questions below on the bottom portion of their “Birthday Candles” handout. Assure them these answers will not be discussed, and are only for their personal reflection. (POSSIBLE POWERPOINT SLIDE) •

What do you most enjoy about the age you are now?

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What do you dislike most about the age you are now?

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What are you looking forward to as you get older?

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What do you dread about getting older?

Growing older isn’t easy. We face a lot of changes and adjustments that may be difficult to manage. We need to understand that God understands how we feel about getting older. In His eyes, we never change. We are his “children,” even if we’re old. As our loving Father, He values our relationship with Him at all stages of our lives. Even if other people treat us differently as we age (and even if we treat ourselves differently), God never changes His love for us (Romans 8:38-39). Our perspective of aging can be strongly influenced by media images that favor youth over age. It’s easy to feel our value decreases as we age, but that’s why midlife is such an important time to get closer to God. He can help us match our view of aging with His.

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Write the following Bible verses on small pieces of paper. Make two sets for larger classes. Ask each participant to reach in the shoebox and take a piece of paper, then look up the verse in his or her Bible. For larger classes, ask the participants to team up with the other person who has the same Bible verse. When everyone has chosen a Bible verse, ask for volunteers to read the verse and answer the following question: What is God expressing to us about growing older in this verse?

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For Sure—Be Confident You’re a Christian

Once the group members have pondered and discussed the questions, ask the question: How do you think God views your concerns about aging? Which category of concerns do you think He’s most interested in?

(POSSIBLE POWERPOINT SLIDE) •

Isaiah 46:4

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Proverbs 16:31

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Leviticus 19:32

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Job 32:7

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Isaiah 46:3b-4a

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Psalm 92:14a

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Psalm 71:9

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Job 12:12

COMMIT Even if we know God understands how we feel about getting older and that His love for us doesn’t change as we age, we still may have questions and concerns about our aging.

Access Downloadable Curriculum • Session 1 AARP Wants to Contact You–And So Does God

Think about the answers you wrote to these questions again: What do you dislike most about the age you are now?

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What do you dread about getting older?

Provide group members with a copy of the handout, “God, I’m Getting Older—Can We Talk?” Explain this handout should be used during the week to help them pray about their aging concerns. Ask the participants to consider the eight Scriptures discussed during the session and match a verse with each of their answers to the questions.

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Even if other people treat us differently as we age (and even if we treat ourselves differently), God never changes His love for us. It’s easy to feel our value decreases as we age, but that’s why midlife is such an important time to get closer to God. He can help us match our view of aging with His.

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Session One

Please circle all the responses that best describe how you felt for the following birthdays. (You can circle more than one letter and write in your own term for “Other,” if you choose):

Your 21st birthday:

Your 30th birthday:

Your 40th/50th birthday:



A. Excited

A. Excited

A. Excited



B. Angry

B. Angry

B. Angry



C. Happy

C. Happy

C. Happy

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D. Bored

D. Bored

D. Bored



E. Eager

E. Eager

E. Eager



F. Daring

F. Daring

F. Daring



G. Depressed

G. Depressed

G. Depressed



H. Worried

H. Worried

H. Worried



I. Hopeful

I. Hopeful

I. Hopeful

J. Lonely

J. Lonely

J. Lonely



K. Confused

K. Confused

K. Confused



L. Other: __________

L. Other: __________ L. Other: __________

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For Sure—Be Confident You’re a Christian

Student Handout 1

Birthday Candles

Access Downloadable Curriculum • Session 1 AARP Wants to Contact You–And So Does God

God, I’m Getting Older—Can We Talk?

Session One

Student Handout 2

1. What do you dislike most about the age you are now?

2. What do you dread about getting older?

3. Reflect on the answers you wrote to these questions and consider the Bible verses discussed in class: •

Isaiah 46:4

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Leviticus 19:32

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Job 32:7

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Isaiah 46:3b-4a

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Psalm 92:14a

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Psalm 71:9

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Job 12:12

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God understands our concerns about aging. He wants to reassure us and use our midlife years to help us grow closer to Him.

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4. Choose a verse that you feel relates to the answers you wrote. Pray about each of the answers you wrote by reciting Psalm 23, and ask God to help you match your perspective of your aging process with His.

Access Downloadable Curriculum • Session 1 AARP Wants to Contact You–And So Does God