There are times in life when things seem boring; repetitive; unchanging. There are times when we’re tempted to just sit back and watch the world go by. These times aren’t particularly happy or sad; they’re uneventful, and, often, this monotony leads to complacency. It leads us to forgetting the blessings God has given.

The Israelites faced this time of life after the exodus out of Egypt. They were travelling in the desert for a really long time, and soon, the glory and wonder of their miraculous escape faded away. The Israelites started sinning again; they started turning away from God. They worshipped a golden calf, they violated the Commandments, they worshipped false gods. In the middle point of their lives, the Israelites turned away from God, because they forgot His blessings.

Contrast the actions of the Israelites to that of Moses. Where the Israelites forgot God in their journey, Moses continued to have a deep and intimate relationship with Him. Moses did not forget that God saved his people. In fact, Moses became God’s messenger to the Israelites. Through Moses, the 10 commandments were given and various miracles shown. Moses, in the middle point of his life, did not turn away from God. Instead, he used the time given to Him to grow even closer to Him.

So, during these middle points, what are we called to do? Moses shows us an example to follow - he did not see the middle point as a fading away of God’s blessings. Rather, he used the time here to further appreciate the blessings God gave while growing closer to Him through service, worship, and prayer. This kind of relationship with God brought Moses closer to that perfect harmony with God. By using the middle point of his life as a time of reflection and of prayer, Moses grew closer to God.

However, Moses didn’t just use the middle point of his life for inner reflection. He also used it to bring Israel back to God, even if they seemed unwilling. Instead of lazing around, Moses actively preached God’s word and stopped the Israelites from sinning. He did not fall into complacency; rather, he made sure that others continued serving God and seeing His blessings.

When we reach middle points in our lives, we should not grow lazy. Instead, we should seek to strengthen our harmony with God through acts of reflection and prayer. We can use the time we have to think - what have I done for God? What am I doing for God? We can also use this time to look at God’s blessings and thank Him for them, while looking at our shortcomings.

But, just as Moses coupled reflection with action, we should too. We should use the middle points of our lives to bring others closer to God. How? We can teach others about God, strengthening their faith in Him. We can warn those who we see falling into laziness, just as the Israelites did. We can continue to serve others, no matter how hard. Instead of being complacent, we should continue giving, serving, and loving.