I’ve written about this here on *cino already. I think the breakdown of my health was related to the stress of this late 20’s time of life. My physical symptoms forced me to evaluate my spiritual condition and I found that I was driven too much by the desire to see clear signs that my work was not in vain. I found comfort in Ecclesiastes and also in Thomas Merton’s "No Man is an Island", Antony Bloom’s "Beginning to Pray" and in spiritual direction. I was reminded that my anxiety was a sign that I didn’t trust God was working in my life. I was trying to do all the work myself. I distorted John Calvin’s teaching that God is an active God and forgot that God did not create us just to work all the time, but to rest and enjoy His creation. On the other side of this rest is meaningful work, where God steps in and does what I could never do. And I am more and more aware that my relationship with my creator and the creation, other people, etc. is as much good Kingdom work as building and reforming societal institutions or redeeming rock music or whatever I feel I must be busy doing.
That was how it was for me. But I think in general the late 20’s are maybe the new mid-life crisis. It might have something to do with more people going to college, getting married later, having so many choices about what kind of work they could be doing. It’s a time of evaluating one’s identity now, a feeling of not achieving what you think you should have by now. A very different feeling than a guy in mid-life who did achieve material possessions but isn’t sure if he’s satisfied with the life he’s built for himself.
grant
Sep 28 2007
12:32 pm
I’ve written about this here on *cino already. I think the breakdown of my health was related to the stress of this late 20’s time of life. My physical symptoms forced me to evaluate my spiritual condition and I found that I was driven too much by the desire to see clear signs that my work was not in vain. I found comfort in Ecclesiastes and also in Thomas Merton’s "No Man is an Island", Antony Bloom’s "Beginning to Pray" and in spiritual direction. I was reminded that my anxiety was a sign that I didn’t trust God was working in my life. I was trying to do all the work myself. I distorted John Calvin’s teaching that God is an active God and forgot that God did not create us just to work all the time, but to rest and enjoy His creation. On the other side of this rest is meaningful work, where God steps in and does what I could never do. And I am more and more aware that my relationship with my creator and the creation, other people, etc. is as much good Kingdom work as building and reforming societal institutions or redeeming rock music or whatever I feel I must be busy doing.
That was how it was for me. But I think in general the late 20’s are maybe the new mid-life crisis. It might have something to do with more people going to college, getting married later, having so many choices about what kind of work they could be doing. It’s a time of evaluating one’s identity now, a feeling of not achieving what you think you should have by now. A very different feeling than a guy in mid-life who did achieve material possessions but isn’t sure if he’s satisfied with the life he’s built for himself.