Millennial reflections on turning 30.
Let’s be honest: a lot of my life hasn’t gone as expected. My 20’s were tough. Bouts with anxiety and depression. A broken engagement. Add to that feelings of uncertainty and shifting social circles as friends move and marry, and it can make for lonely and unsettling times.
I can also struggle with not being quite where I wish I was (whatever that means) and with feeling like a failure. Usually these feelings are baseless; I’ve seen some solid successes in work, health and education, and overall life is pretty dope. Yet I can’t help but feel like I should have some greater level of success, especially entering my fourth decade on this planet.
The story is far from over
In reading the book of Genesis a while back, I noticed that Joseph’s life wasn’t that great at 30. He had been tossed in a hole and left for dead by his own brothers who couldn’t stand his arrogance. Though sold into slavery, he climbed the ladder at his master’s house… until the guy’s wife made him an ancient victim of the #MeToo movement gone wrong, landing him in prison as an accused rapist.
So much for “success”.
Despite all of this, the story of Joseph ends in a kind of glory.
Twelve years after being left for dead, this once arrogant young man becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and saves millions of lives from famine. He recognizes the blessing of God in his work (as does Pharaoh, actually), and eventually, he reconciles with his old family nearly 20 years after they (quite literally) ditched him. Literary tears have rarely moved me like this.
Where’s the magic wand?
We often hear stories like Joseph’s and think, “Aw, that’s nice”. But when our lives feel even a bit out of sync, we ask “Why couldn’t God do it another way?”
But who’s to say there is another way?
What if what happens to us is exactly what God needs to bring us through? What if it’s exactly what is necessary for our growth and for the good of those around us? Also let’s be honest, isn’t a real story much more interesting than the wave of a wand? If you could take the easy way… would you?
Years of suffering and loneliness yielded much fruit in Joseph. You can’t help but weep with him when you see the beauty of God’s providence in Genesis’ closing chapters.
Like Joseph, I expect I’ll weep tears of joy the more of God’s plan I see written, bring what He may.
Bring it on, 30.
Struggling? Here are some posts you may find helpful if you’re in a life transition or struggling to find hope or meaning:
How to Build a Morning Routine for Mental Health
Friendship, Loneliness, and Authenticity
How to Make Anxiety Work For You
