Midlife is a season of challenge and change―professionally, relationally, physically, and spiritually. On our better days, we experience a sense of growing clarity and satisfaction about who we are in midlife. We might even come to terms with our limitations and vulnerabilities, letting go of some dreams and creating new ones. But many days, we are overwhelmed and exhausted by the intense transitions of this season, leaving us feeling off-balance and insecure. And these challenges reverberate through our marriages, making us wonder how we’re going to survive. In marriages for decades, spouses can attach moral energy to our way of moving through life which often leads to judgment, pride, and conflict. Marital disappointments can often be traced back to the expectations we brought into our covenant. However, these relational disappointments we have with our spouse are opportunities for us to give thanks to God, become more engaged in our marriage, repent, and draw closer to Christ. Ultimately, these responses should soften our hearts and increase our capacity to love our spouse.
This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Dorothy Littell Greco about her article, “Marriage in Mid-Life: How Disappointment Helps Us Become More Christlike.” in the 44:1 issue of Christian Research Journal.
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