What To Do When You Face A Mid-Life Headache!

What To Do When You Face A Mid-Life Headache!Dr. Vince Hefner, PastorFirst Baptist ChurchCherryville, North CarolinaI have always heard that when you get into your mid-forties you begin to experience a mid-life crisis. I guess you begin to realize that you made it out of your teenage years when you felt ten feet tall and impervious to pain or any authority figure. During your twenties you worked on your education or selected a career that would provide adequate income. Chances are, you also got married and started a family but you still felt somewhat immune from physical pain even though you began to understand the concept of respecting authority. The next step is the thirties, a time when you are moving up the career ladder while your children are growing up and participating in school events. When you are in your thirties you begin to feel a few aches and pains and you realize that you are not bullet proof and you like authority figures because you have become one.Before you know it you are in your mid-forties. Say what? Yes, when you were a teenager someone in their mid-forties was past the prime of life, and you wondered to yourself why these people even got out of bed in the morning. When you are in your mid-forties you begin to have a real dislike for new music that comes on the radio, and you begin to buy CD’s entitled “The Best of the 70’s, 80’s, etc…”. Your children seem to disregard any sound advice you try to give them, and when they talk to you there is a distinct barrier of misunderstanding as to what is important to you and what is important to them. You tell yourself that this stage in life will pass, because one day your children will move out on their own – hopefully!The worst part of the mid-forties is in the physical area of your life. Now when you have a headache you convince yourself it is a malignant brain tumor, and when you run out of breath you tell yourself you are about to experience a major heartache or stroke. Yes, in a span of less than 30 years you have gone from being bullet proof to being susceptible to any and every airborne disease known to man. As a matter of fact, you just might contract a disease that doesn’t even have a name. The only good part of this scenario is that you might have a new disease named in your honor, or memory, depending upon the seriousness of your newfound illness.When you are in your mid-forties you have to be careful what you eat and when you eat it. Your esophagus cannot take pizza after 6:00 p.m., and your blood sugar cannot take more than two candy bars a day. You might as well forget about soft drinks and milk shakes as you try to lose weight that hangs around your midsection like an unwelcome visitor sitting in your favorite chair. I just want to go on record and say that I am not having a mid-life crisis. I love my wife, I love my job, I love my kids (most of the time) and I even love my car. I don’t want to trade anything in for something new or different. However, I feel I am experiencing a mid-life headache, one that reminds me I am not in control of things that I thought I once was.However, the Bible has the cure for the mid-life headache. Proverbs 3:5-8 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” I am so grateful that God’s Word will bring comfort and direction in our lives regardless of what stage of life we are in. The Bible is just as true and helpful to a child as it is to a middle aged preacher. Take time to consider the precious words in the Bible that helps us through the difficult times in our lives. Remember, don’t give in to sin. Think about it!