People joke a lot about midlife crises, but if you're in the midst of one, it doesn't always seen like a laughing matter. Some years ago, when the news media were giving a great deal of attention to the fiftieth anniversaries of battles connected with World War II, I found myself struggling with feelings that my life had been wasted and that the road ahead was a bleak and lonely one. Ridiculous as it seems now, I felt almost suffocated by the feeling that my life was winding down and would soon come to a dreary end.
Since I have a fairly serious interest in history, I eagerly read news accounts of these fiftieth anniversaries. But after a while, I found myself thinking, "Well, I won't be here for the seventy-fifth anniversary . . . ." Being around for these anniversaries wasn't that important, but they became a kind of metaphor for the deadly message: you won't be around.
There are many accounts in the Bible of people who lived far beyond the normal human lifespan and who were able to function vigorously at an advanced age. Sarah was ninety years old when she gave birth to Isaac. See Gen. 17:15-17; 21:1-5 . Of Moses, the book of Deuteronomy says, "And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." Deut. 34:7.
