If there was only one word allowed to describe the middle years of life, that word would be "intense." It is the time of life when making your marriage work requires a little more effort. It is the time of life when you are bring credibility to your career and when children begin to run your social life. The middle years can be stressful, draining, and flat-out unbearable. The key to making the middle years the best years of life is not to slow life down. It is how you respond to the demanding realities of these years that makes all the difference. Don't let the intense heat blow your life apart. Rather, know that God is present and use this time in your life as a catalyst for the kind of growth that will serve you into eternity.