Every day is a gift, but as we move in to midlife we’re more aware of the need for clarity in the second half of life, and to make sure we’re headed in the right direction.

Peter Greer shares encouragement from a book he co-authored,  . He discusses the importance of reflecting over our lifetime to gain insight into our future mission.

“There are different stages in life. In the twenty’s we start saying ‘Can I make it? Can I get that job?’ etc. Then, sometimes in the thirty’s it’s about chasing success.”

“At some point in midlife, I think the opportunity is to sit down and say, ‘Where am I now? What are those areas that I thought would provide a meaning in and satisfaction?’ Did it really give you the advertised happiness?”

Although many people aren’t always excited about doing a personal evaluation, Peter has found it to be an extremely hopeful process. We learn more about the concept of having 40/40 vision.

“The reason we even talk about 40/40 vision is because life looks differently if you live with the end in mind.”

How would you live differently if you knew that you had a certain amount of time left?

“That’s the invitation of midlife. The clock is on, the game is going; how do you want to spend your time?

With the end in mind we can ask how we want to live and what we want our legacy to be. Peter shares a few insights from David Brooks, who talks about eulogy virtues and resume virtues.

“With a resume is about the titles; it’s about the careers, it’s about the path that we took, and yet at the end of life those things don’t seem to matter quite as much. Instead, when someone listens to a eulogy, often times it’s the acts of love and compassion. It’s not the people that did the big business deals that tend up showing – it’s a people that were closest to you.”

Our legacy has the power to impact future generations for God’s glory, as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Him in every season.

“I think the opportunity that we’re given in thinking about this stage of life is to say: Let’s live today with the end in mind. Let’s think about the logical conclusion that one day there will not be breath in our lungs, and what do we want to spend our life on today with the end in mind?”

“That’s really why we think about 40/40 vision, because we believe that we live differently today when we realize that life is short.”

Highlight: Midlife evaluation

God’s clarity for the mid-life season