Joyce Voelker

A midlife crisis is usually described as a period between ages 35 and 60 when a person goes through a slump or questions the direction of his or her life. Some people in this stage go on spending sprees or seek out uncharacteristic adventures. Others fret about unmet goals and the emptiness of their lives and relationships. Regardless of whether your midlife comes with a crisis, if you are a believer, this season of life can lead to important decisions regarding life and ministry.

While my family’s journey did not include a midlife crisis, God did lead us to drastically change the trajectory of our ministry focus. After we served for 19 years at a Christian school in Des Moines, God moved us to Lisbon, Portugal. Our journey had begun almost 25 years earlier during the first year of our marriage, when we stood in front of a tiny congregation and made a commitment to “go anywhere and do anything” that God asked. Serving at the Christian school all those years, we knew we were keeping that promise.