Day 18: Fun Ways to Enjoy Some Girl Time?
Day 17: What to Do When You Feel Rejected
Day 16: Take Your Relationships Beyond Ordinary
Day 15: Where are My Girls At?
Day 14: A Reason, A Season or a Lifetime
Day 9: Accessories from Head to Toe
Day 8: Things I Love about Midlife that I Sometimes Hate
Day 3: With Strength and Beauty
Day 2:Wholeheartedly with Grace
My first thought that I was approaching a new stage of life hit me a few years ago. I can specifically remember sitting in a chair in my family room…looking out the window…thinking…
- I won’t have any more babies (at least it’s HIGHLY unlikely).
- I’m not a mom of little kids anymore.
- I don’t want comfort to be my main goal in life.
- Obedience to God is the desire of my heart (this was uttered through tears to an interim pastor while sitting on the steps in his office.)
- What does obedience look like? What is God asking of me?
And like a butterfly that flits around your ankles and then your head and then goes off in another direction, the moment passed.
It was sort of like when the wind blows the pages of your book…a page had gently turned and I stopped just long enough to acknowledge it.
But as these things do, it didn’t stay gone for long and I started noticing similar thoughts and feelings expressed in conversations with other women around my age. It was affirming to know I wasn’t alone even though I wasn’t sure what I was going through.
As I was noticing this shift in my life and thinking, God grabbed ahold of my heart and imagination and went to work. I would love to tell you that this was a time of bliss and wonder. The truth of the matter, however, was that it was one of the most lonely and challenging times of my adult life. Don’t misunderstand me…much of the work He was doing was wonderful but feeling such a change happen on the inside of me while the rest of the world carried on as normal was difficult.
When I looked in the mirror, I recognized the girl looking back at me but her heart was radically different.
I started calling this time of my life a mid-life growth spurt. Despite the challenges, I was growing and changing…learning more about who God is and who I am in Him…and what He wanted from me during the time I’m here.
Through this time of wrestling and growth God planted a dream in my heart and a deep desire to connect with other women in this season of life. I not only want to connect but I want to share stories, resources and help us all navigate it beautifully. She’s Becoming and Fortyologie were born. I’ll tell more of that story as the month progresses but for now…
I’m inviting you to follow along with me as we journey through a month of studying…
We will talk about areas of life that central to our days and think about them through the filter of scripture (as much as possible) and midlife. Faith, friends, family, finances and fashion are a few of the topics that will be in the mix. What does all of that look like in the middle? We will ask, wrestle and try to figure some of it out.
So, won’t you stick around, join the conversation? This series will be much richer if we figure it out together and it becomes a discussion. I would be thrilled to hear your thoughts…please leave a comment.
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3 thoughts on “31 Days of Learning to Live in the Middle: Fortyologie”
I’m not quite to this stage in life yet – I still have a little one….no teenagers – but I’m sticking around. I’m a planner 🙂 <3 your writing, <3 your heart! You are amazing!
I love the growth spurt you’re going through. It’s a necessary but wonderful time in life and it only gets better! Now you’re going to know the woman God really wants you to be!
Thanks Beverly! I would love the benefit of your guidance. Anytime you have a helpful thought, please comment!