Is there any truth to seasons-of-life sins? Do we struggle with certain categories of vices more or less at different stages of our lives? The sum of my own Bible study, personal experience, and decades of observation have convinced me that age-specific temptations and transgressions are a thing.
This spiritual law can be a predictor of the major types of solicitations to evil you will experience relative to your age. It can also be a useful weapon to engage in our perennial battle against indwelling sin.
"...age-specific temptations and transgressions are a thing."
I John 2:15-16 is the neatest categorization of these demographic defilements:
(1) over-desires of the flesh,
(2) over-desires of the eyes, and
(3) the pride of legacy.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life- is not from the Father but is from the world.
We have three main enemies at war with us as we seek to live holy lives: an external enemy (the world), an infernal enemy (Satan), and an internal enemy (our desires). The word for desires is the Greek word epithumia. It is a word that in this context means an over-desire or a hyper-desire. More often than not it refers to natural desire that has become unnaturally important. At certain seasons of our lives, natural desires can become unnaturally important.
Sins of our Youth.
It would be an overstatement to define the sins of our youth too specifically by saying they stop being a struggle at age 45, for instance. However, there is, according to the Perfect Word, something called “youthful passions.” (II Timothy 2:22) Bodily desires, specifically sexual temptations, are especially heightened in our youth. Desires for physical gratification, authenticity, peer approval, impulsiveness, and enjoying a wide array of experiences are unquestionably elevated during our first three or four decades of life. Desires of the flesh rage, sometimes unrivaled or unchecked, in our hearts as we live through the various stages of life as children, adolescents, and young adults. Don’t be surprised by the intensity of these desires, young people! You’ve been warned.
Middle-Age Iniquities
The over-desire of the eyes is the lust for stuff. Middle age, 45ish to 65ish, ushers in a hunger for things and success. Employment advancement and awards, homes, vehicles, vacations, retirement accounts, and giving our children “the best life” often fuel our daily drive. A mid-life crisis is essentially a realization that we are losing the race of asset and accomplishment acquisition. As a result, depression or a double-down on workaholism ensues. Chasing our tail. Attempting to capture the vapor. As a 51-year-old, I feel this strong pull in my heart for grabbing with gusto so much of what my eyes see. Middle-aged colleague, what if we acknowledged that “loving the world” in this season of our lives is primarily demonstrated by our passion to live the “American Dream” and accumulate as much as we can? Because after all, Y.O.L.O.
"A mid-life crisis is essentially a realization that we are losing the race of asset and accomplishment acquisition."
Sunset Pride
Our final years walking the planet are usually spent with a lot of self-reflection on our legacy. The pride of life is a haughty assessment of the significant mark we have left on humanity. No matter how hard we try, we just can’t imagine a world in which we don’t exist. The pride of life is like a pre-funeral, self-eulogy being projected in our heads. We would misunderstand sunset pride if we think of it only as a thought transgression. Sun-setters who are unsatisfied with their accomplishments, real or perceived, are tempted to be revisionists seeking to change the history of their lives, or perhaps worse, working to manipulate outcomes to enhance their legacy. Retirement age can deceivingly promise a path of limited sin struggles. After all, with the over-desire of the flesh and the over-desire of the eyes being significantly dampened, one can understandably imagine themselves to be almost in a stage of impeccability. That mindset proves to be tragic. It’s the sure path towards not finishing well. Be sober. Your adversary knows how to bankrupt your spiritual IRA.
"Sun-setters who are unsatisfied with their accomplishments, real or perceived, are tempted to be revisionists seeking to change the history of their lives, or perhaps worse, working to manipulate outcomes to enhance their legacy."
No matter our age, "let the person who thinks they stand, take care lest they fall."
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