Week 34: Midlife irrelevance

What Psalm 52 teaches us about being relevant in midlife

"Invisible Woman Syndrome." You may not have heard the term, but you most likely have experienced it. Defined as a feeling of being overlooked and unimportant in American society, invisible woman syndrome is what we experience when our adult children don't call, when stores don't carry clothes to fit our menopausal bodies, or when we keep our mouths shut because we worry about being labeled a "Karen." It's a fear that we have outlived our usefulness and have become unremarkable in our families, our communities, or our career fields. We fear we have become irrelevant.

What a terrible label to attach to ourselves! Even if our culture--incorrectly--wants to place that epithet on you, don't accept it! God's Word has something very different to say to us about who and what is actually important. Friend, if we are following God and seeking His kingdom first, we are crucial to God's purposes on earth, especially in our midlife years.

God's Word on relevance

David grappled with this issue in Psalm 52, written when an associate of Saul betrayed David and the priest Ahimelech after Ahimelech had helped David escape from Saul. This associate had seen Ahimelech and David meet, and he convinced Saul to allow him to execute 85 priests in retaliation for Ahimelech's disloyalty. Can you imagine how David felt when this news reached him?

He must have been tempted to give up on the promise of God that he would be king one day. He had to have considered turning himself in or leaving the country and relinquishing his God-given place in the land of Israel. He might have reasoned that it would have been better for him and everyone around him to accept a life of irrelevance rather than royalty.

But David didn't give in. Instead, he put his faith in God and followed God's leading because David was committed to God's calling and design for his life. He was not meant to fade into obsurity. No, David believed instead that everything outside of the will of God was to be regarded as meaningless.

Irrelevance personified

How does David describe the outcome for those who wanted to hinder God's plan?

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:

He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living.

The righteous will see and fear;

they will laugh at you, saying,

“Here now is the man

who did not make God his stronghold

but trusted in his great wealth

and grew strong by destroying others!”

Psalm 52:5-7, NIV

David is telling us that those who work for their own ends rather than for God's purposes are the people who risk becoming irrelevant, or worse. A stern warning, for sure, but also an incredible encouragement and a clear choice for us in midlife: Do you want to be relevant in your circle of influence? Join God in what He is doing and further His kingdom! Share the gospel, make disciples, encourage the saints, give with your whole heart. Then you can say with David,

But I am like an olive tree

flourishing in the house of God;

I trust in God’s unfailing love

for ever and ever.

For what you have done I will always praise you

in the presence of your faithful people.

And I will hope in your name,

for your name is good.

Psalm 52:8-9, NIV

At any age, we can be that green olive tree: flourishing, fruitful, and vital to God's kingdom purposes.

Living relevantly

Psalm 52:8-9 would be a great passage to put on your bathroom mirror, friend! Every day, let's remember that we are never too old to be part of God's good work. Our midlife days are opportunities to serve Him with greater freedom than ever before. We are not invisible, we are essential! Find out where God wants you to engage, always remember: We are never irrelevant when our lives are surrendered to God's good purpose.

Feel free to download and use this image as a reminder of your relevance to God and His people!

Daily Readings and Reflections:

Monday’s Reading: Psalm 52

Reflect on a time when you felt overlooked or undervalued. How can trusting in God’s “unfailing love” (v. 8) shift your perspective on your worth? What does it mean to you to be “like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God” (v. 8)? What could that look like in your life right now?

Tuesday’s Reading: Psalm 53

Psalm 53:1 describes the fool who says, “There is no God.” What is God's view of people who reject Him in verses 2 and 3? How might you as a midlife woman encourage the people around you to take a bold stand for belief in God despite the cultural pressures?

Wednesday’s Reading: Psalm 54

In verse 4, David declares, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” How can you rely on God’s sustaining power to overcome moments of feeling invisible in your daily life? What truth might you preach to yourself in those moments from Psalm 54?

Thursday’s Reading:  Psalm 55

In Psalm 55, David laments a close friend’s betrayal. How have changes in relationships made you feel less relevant in midlife? How does David address the abandonment he is experiencing in verses 16-19 and 22-24? Spend a few minutes talking to God about your burden and ask Him to make you unshakeable.

Friday’s Reading: Psalm 56

David says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (v. 3). Write down the fears you have about aging or irrelevance in midlife. What verses in Psalm 56 encourage and strengthen you in the face of those fears? Write them down underneath the list of fears and pray those scriptures out loud.

Weekend Reading:  Psalm 57

In verse 7, David declares, “My heart, O God, is steadfast.” What seems to draw you away from staying steadfast in your faith during midlife changes and challenges? Spend a few moments refocusing your heart on God's calling on your own life. Ask Him to help you see His glory rather than your challenges.

Want to read more Bible verses about knowing Jesus Christ as Savior? Here's a good place to start:

https://www.gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html