Turning 44.

Having just turned 40 myself, I have the following recommendations:

- Get healthy so you can be the hands and feet of Jesus. What a great reason to lose weight, start exercising, stop smoking/drinking alcohol, etc. Whatever "get healthy" is for you. The Holy Spirit will be there helping you and cheering you on all the way.

- Do something to bring glory to God every day. Even something little like saying hello to someone, donating something, volunteering somewhere, etc. Every morning I ask God to help me be His hands and feet for the day.

- Find time to worship God every day, however you best connect to Him (I go on walks and listen to worship music). Get a fill-up on God's grace everyday.

- Thank God every chance you get, even for the smallest blessings in life. I even bless Him for the difficult things because I know that they are honing me to be the person He wants me to be. This has brought so much joy to my life.

- Start aligning your goals to God's goals. What is important to God? Helping the poor, hungry, orphans, widows, people with disabilities, other Christians, etc. Start brainstorming bigger ways to help bring God's kingdom to this earth. (I just saw a post about a woman who wanted to help struggling families in her neighborhood. She created a FB page and everyone in the group brings an item to drop off one Saturday a month. For 2-3 hours of her time per month, it's an easy, no-brainer way to help a struggling neighbor).

- Tell others about God and what He has done for your life.

- Read God's Word every day. Supplement God's Word with other favorite Christian books and authors.

- Pray unceasingly.

These are just some of the things I try to do everyday Blessings!

Christianboy44 said:

Thank you KEA44. I need advice because I don't want to have a midlife crisis and enjoy my 40s.

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There is no mid-life crisis when you are in Christ. I do agree with the advice already given.

The 40s are the absolute best!!! In our 40s we gain more confidence in who we are and what we want out of life. At least that's how it is for me.

KEA44 gave great advice, btw.

Christianboy44 said:

In 2 months, I will turn 44 years young. I need advice on helping me deal with it and make my life have focus and direction.

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Some may disagree with me, but I'm convinced that men do undergo a significant transition in their 40's. I wouldn't necessarily call it a crisis, but it is a transition nonetheless. Focus and direction are significant questions to ask, and I think that there are some positive things you can do to answer those questions.

It may be a good time right now to re-evaluate your values. Ask God to help you identify who you are in Him, and in relation to those around you. Without understanding our values - the things that shape our identity and who we actually are - some goals might be hard to realize.

I personally went through some major changes when I hit 40. There were some significant relationships (friendships and a s.o. relationship) that had ended, and I was also out of work for a time. So I had to really regroup and it was a tough time. I faced a lot of the same questions as you. Finding my identity in Christ was key for me, and a re-evaluation of my values taught me that things that I thought were important, really weren't all that key for me in life. However, that realization only came after a lot of self-reflection. I found out the things that were important to me, and now my life has changed dramatically, including marriage and a move some 2,200 miles away from where I was living at the time - to Canada no less!

So re-evaluating your values is an important step, but the results will be well worth it. Chances are that the the goals for you might not be as major, but God has something in store for sure.

I never believed in mid-life crises until my husband turned 40. The good news is, he's 45 now and is doing just fine.

My birthday is Tuesday--I'll be 45. That's the age I dread because it's the age I always thought my mother was! Gads! Even so, it's just another day.

Have courage! Try new things. Don't forget to keep on living!

My best advice would be try to live in each moment.

What I mean by that is that throughout our lives we have a bunch of things that we just do sub consciously the way we have always done them. It's almost like auto-pilot, where our brains are like I've done this before and I did it this way.

I've tried to look at like a reevaluation of how I've been doing things and see if it resonates with who I am and what I believe. Are there morsels of love or happiness I have been missing? Is there a way to do this better in the future? A way to add more or even release or take away something if it is not beneficial.

I hope that I will be much better in the next 15 years. I feel like I have a good start. Now if these wrinkles would just disappear. lol.

ToBeBlessed said:

My best advice would be try to live in each moment.

What I mean by that is that throughout our lives we have a bunch of things that we just do sub consciously the way we have always done them. It's almost like auto-pilot, where our brains are like I've done this before and I did it this way.

I've tried to look at like a reevaluation of how I've been doing things and see if it resonates with who I am and what I believe. Are there morsels of love or happiness I have been missing? Is there a way to do this better in the future? A way to add more or even release or take away something if it is not beneficial.

I hope that I will be much better in the next 15 years. I feel like I have a good start. Now if these wrinkles would just disappear. lol.

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I think your header motto sums it up! 'grace or nothing': live life entirely relying on God's wondrous grace in Christ: this is a sound basis as the years go by.

Blessings.