Martin Luther said faith is the 'yes of the heart,' a confidence on which we stake our lives. We don't say 'yes' to God once. It also changes through the normal process of aging. Human development studies reveal predictable life stages as we mature through the life cycle. Each stage brings unique challenges and tasks.
Adolescents struggle with personal identity through the choices they make.
Older people grapple with the meaning of their lives. As we negotiate tasks in each phase, we emerge with new strength. But we can also refuse to tackle a task and end up stuck in a life stage, unable to move on and less able to cope with future challenges. The same is true of faith. Christ remains the same, but how we encounter and respond to God can and will change throughout our lives, Droege adds.