Quarterlife Crisis…

“What am I doing with my life?” “Where do I find fulfillment?”

Ryan and Jenee Harmon, Young Adults Pastor

Change. I can’t think of any other word to describe the past six years of my life. From the moment I graduated from college in 2001, life has been one big transition-while working on my masters at Wheaton College I served coffee and waited tables, and since that time I’ve directed summer camps, worked at more coffee houses, worked in Chicago, became a personal trainer, and married my wife, Jenee. These years have not been boring and I wouldn’t change a thing about them. In many ways, the past six years of my life have been pretty typical of people my age, and as I begin to work with the young adults at LBC, I’m excited to walk with them through these experiences.

Transition is the reality of this season of life. Amidst the changes in friendships and careers, these years of transition can be quite a shock to those experiencing them and a frustration to friends and family who watch from the outside. On more than one occasion my parents felt helpless as I struggled with questions that seem all too common to people in their 20s and 30s: “What am I doing with my life?” “Where do I find fulfillment?” The term “quarterlife crisis” was born out of questions like these and has become increasingly relevant in recent years. As a result, one of the temptations people in their 20s and 30s face is to begin to live life focused merely on oneself.

Our purpose at LBC is to present every person complete in Christ. One significant component of our movement toward completeness and growth into Christlikeness is our realization that God intends to use trials in our lives to move us toward maturity.We will all face difficulties throughout our entire lives. Our willingness to accept these trials as opportunities for God to change us into the people He wants us to become allows us to face these times with joy rather than fear and frustration.

The unique reality for those of us in our 20s and 30s is that these changes and the trials that accompany them are right in our faces-there’s no denying them.We don’t need to pretend that we have life figured out. Our job-and what I’m most excited about-is to embrace these changes as an opportunity to become more like Christ. I’m thankful that I’m part of a community of faith that continually reminds me that my sufficiency does not depend on my “figuring life out,” but is found in Christ alone.