50-Plus and Looking for Purpose?

If you’re age 50-plus, you might be thinking, “I’m more than halfway through life, and I’m not even sure who I am or what I’m supposed to be doing with my life!”

Well, if so, you might be relieved to know this: You are NORMAL!

The fact is, most people don’t reach the Sweet Spot of their life calling until after age 50! It really does takes that long to discover who you are deep down inside, what your deepest passions and abilities are, and how to live most joyfully and fruitfully in Christ!

Voyage of Life

Deep inside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Christian authors Richard and Leona Bergstrom viewed a series of four paintings by Thomas Cole, entitled The Voyage of Life. Each painting features a person in a small boat gliding down the stages of the river of life. Below is Leona’s narrative:

The first painting, entitled Childhood, depicts a smooth flowing river lined by a lush, verdant bank. Everything is calm, warm, and sheltered. the boat is new, beautiful, intact, and guided by an angel. The traveler is a very young child whose face shows signs of awe, wonder, and innocence.

The next wall hosts the painting entitled Youth. The scene radiates with energy. While the landscape remains green and lush, the river becomes wider, opening to a white, billowy castle. The scene seems to represent dreams, aspirations, and confidence. The traveler is a young man, who has apparently take over the tiller and is guiding his boat. The angel is on the shore, watching.

Turning to the next wall, the painting titled Manhood looms in front of us. We are startled by the significant change in color, terrain, and mood. The river rushes over treacherous rocks producing white water, deadly whirlpools, and hazardous currents. The landscape is increasingly barren, dry, and wind-torn. The traveler is a grown man; his face etched with the pain of past experience and fear for the future. His hand is no longer on the tiller; he has lost control of the boat. The angel hovers in the distant sky.

Completing the 360-degree turn to the fourth and last painting, we gaze at Old Age. The traveler is an old man reaching the end of his earthly life. The river is once again calm as it broadens into a vast, eternal sea. The landscape is bare. The angel hovers close and points the way toward an opening horizon, a host of angelic beings and the hint of heaven.

We finished studying the four grand paintings. Oddly, we felt deeply disturbed. It seemed to us that the transition from adulthood to the end of life was abrupt and a little too hasty for comfort. We wanted the traveler to have more time before slipping off into what seems to be his eternal destiny.

Something’s Missing!

Leona Bergstrom continues the above story:

Boldly, Richard walked into the gap flanked by Adulthood and Old Age and spread his arms wide. Like Samson between the famous temple pillars, he pushed hard against the two gallery walls. “There’s something missing!” he cried. “An entire stage of life is not here!”

Today, in the 21st century of human history, we have the opportunity for a whole new season of life. It is our Third Calling! We have sailed through childhood and are done with aspirations of youth and the accomplishments of midlife. We are at a bend in the river that opens to new possibilities! We imagine the river is lined with mature trees, ripe fruit, and pink colored skies. There is no painting in the National Gallery of Art like it.

PERHAPS IT IS OURS TO PAINT!

Your Third Calling

Richard and Leona wrote a book, Third Calling, about finding purpose, passion, and spiritual significance during the last third of life–which today would be for Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) and the so-called Silent Generation (born before 1946).

In the First Calling of young adulthood, people get education, perhaps marry and start a family, and get established.

In the Second Calling of middle age, people develop careers, establish reputations, and care for elderly parents.

Then, the Bergstroms say, comes the Third Calling:
“Something transformational happens; maybe the nest empties, turning a certain age is celebrated or a career ends. It is a new season—the Third Calling. It is a fresh period filled with possibilities and opportunities. And while God has had a plan all along, He has great things in store for the future. He uniquely designed each individual, packed lives with exceptional experiences and placed within every heart a passion for his world and his mission.”

To order Third Calling at Amazon, click here.

More Info

To read another blog about life calling after the age of 50, click here.

What about You?

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