When you thought you’d be “more sorted” by now...

Well hello there lovely Lady,

No one warned you that your 40s, 50s or 60s might feel like this.

You’ve ticked boxes. You’ve done the right things. Maybe you’ve raised kids, stayed married through some bumpy patches, worked hard, served at church, loved people til you were empty.

And yet… this isn’t quite the life you pictured when you were 25.

Maybe there’s a career that never quite happened.
A marriage that feels more flatmate than romance.
Adult kids making choices that keep you awake at 3am.
A body that suddenly has opinions about everything from sleep to waistbands.

And somewhere inside, a quiet thought whispers:

“Surely I should be more together than this by now.”

Friend, this devotional is your permission slip to bring that thought into the light — not to shame it, but to sit with it in God’s presence.

Midlife is not a failure – it’s a turning

The world loves to label this season a “midlife crisis”. But for many women of faith, it’s less a crisis and more an unravelling of old stories that no longer fit.

• The story that said, “If I do everything right, life will go according to plan.”

• The story that said, “My worth is in my productivity, youth or usefulness.”

• The story that said, “If I trust God, I’ll be protected from deep disappointment.”

Midlife exposes those scripts. It gently (and sometimes not so gently!) invites you to ask:

• What have I been building my life on?

• What do I believe about God when things don’t go to plan?

• Who am I, if the roles and responsibilities I leaned on start to shift?

That shake-up isn’t proof that your faith has failed. Often, it’s a sign that God is inviting you deeper.

Think of Israel in the wilderness, or the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection. There was this “in-between” space where nothing felt stable, but God was incredibly present, reshaping their understanding of who He was and who they were.

Bring the hard things into the light

Let’s be honest: midlife isn’t tidy. There are parts you’re proud of and parts you avoid thinking about.

Today, instead of pushing the mess aside, we’re going to name it before God.

A simple prayer to begin

Find a quiet spot — a corner of the couch, your car in the driveway, a café table with your flat white. Take a slow breath and pray:

“Lord, here I am in the middle of my life.
I bring You what hurts, what confuses me, and what didn’t go to plan.
Help me be honest with You and gentle with myself today. Amen.”

Journal prompts

In your journal (or notes app), finish these sentences without overthinking:

• “The part of my life that hurts the most right now is…”

• “If God sat across the table from me and asked how I really am, I would say…”

• “The story I tell myself about why I’m here is…”

Don’t pretty it up. Don’t add a “but God is good!” if it isn’t what you feel in this moment. God isn’t scared of your unfiltered heart. The Psalms are full of people who say the quiet part out loud with God.

Remembering God’s track record in your story

Once you’ve named what hurts, we don’t camp there forever. The next layer of this devotional is to look back intentionally.

Think of your life as a timeline. There have been:

• Unexpected gifts

• Near misses

• Quiet miracles

• Seasons you thought would crush you… but didn’t

Exercise: Trace the thread of faithfulness

Draw a simple line across a page and mark out a few ages or key seasons (e.g. 18, 25, 35, 45, now).

Underneath, jot:

• One moment of pain or confusion from that season

• One way you can see, now, that God met you or carried you through

You might write:

• “Age 30 – miscarriage. I thought joy was over. Looking back: I see the friend who sat with me every week, and the way God slowly rebuilt my hope.”

• “Age 42 – redundancy. I felt rejected. Looking back: that’s when I finally rested, found therapy, and discovered gifts I’d ignored.”

You’re not rewriting history to say it was all fine. You’re simply asking:

“Where can I spot even a tiny thread of God’s presence in my past?”

The same God who walked you through those seasons has not changed. Midlife may surprise you; it does not surprise Him.

A gentle devotional rhythm for one week

You don’t need a colour-coded routine to “fix” midlife. Let’s keep it simple.

Here’s a 7-day rhythm you can repeat any week you like:

1. Morning pause – 3 minutes

Before you scroll or answer messages, sit on the edge of your bed or in the bathroom with the door closed and pray:

“Jesus, I’m here. You are here.
Teach me to walk this day with You, one small step at a time.”

Then place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Take three slow breaths, noticing that you’re still here, still held.

2. Midday reset – one verse, one line

Choose a short verse for the week. Something like:

• “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

• “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Write it on a sticky note, your phone wallpaper or a reminder. When it pops up:

• Whisper the verse once

• Add one line of honesty: “Right now I feel…”

Example:
“Be still and know that I am God. Right now I feel pressured and behind, but I choose to breathe with You.”

3. Evening reflection – two questions

Before bed (or when you first put your feet up), ask:

1. “Where did I feel close to God today?”

2. “Where did I feel far away or alone?”

You might spend 60 seconds answering in your head or jot a couple of bullet points. No long essays required.

4. Weekly check-in – 15–20 minutes

At the end of the week, grab your journal and review:

• The situations you wrote about earlier

• Any patterns you notice in your evening reflections

• Any moments of unexpected comfort, joy or clarity

Then answer:

• “What might God be gently highlighting to me in this season?”

• “What one small change or act of kindness to myself could I make this week?”

Reflection questions for deeper devotion

Use these on a quieter morning, or spread them out over a fortnight:

1. Which part of my life story feels most “unfinished” right now?

2. What expectations from my younger years am I still carrying that may not fit who I am today?

3. When I imagine God looking at me in midlife, what expression do I see on His face?

4. How might it change my choices this week if I believed He is proud of my honest seeking, not waiting for my perfection?

5. Who is one safe person I could share a small piece of my midlife story with?

A closing prayer for the in-between years

“God of every season,
You have seen every year of my life — the wins, the regrets, the quiet tears on my pillow.
You know the expectations I carried into midlife, and the disappointment I feel when I look around and realise life looks different.
I give You my questions, my grief and my secret hopes.
Teach me to see this in-between not as failure, but as holy ground where You are reshaping me.
Show me the next small step, and give me courage to take it with You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Take one more deep breath. You’re not behind. You’re becoming.

Until we chat again...

Blessings and hugs to you,

Dianne xx