Midlife & Beyond Archives -

Things I’m Still Figuring Out at 58

Posted on September 15, 2026September 15, 2026 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

I’m almost 58.

And apparently, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

Which is kind of funny when you think about it.

At almost 58, I thought I’d have more of this figured out.

My finances. My future. Retirement. Friendships. My career. My purpose.

You know…the little things.

Instead, sometimes I feel like I’m standing at the beginning of it all. Except there’s one pretty significant difference between standing at the beginning at 28 and standing at the beginning at almost 58.

The number of years ahead of me is smaller than the number of years behind me.

And if I’m being completely honest, that scares me sometimes.

I sometimes wonder if there is enough time.

Enough time to get my finances where I want them. Enough time to figure out what I actually want to do. Enough time to build something meaningful. Enough time to retire someday without panicking about it. Enough time to pursue the things I’ve put off. Enough time to become the woman I always thought I would be.

And then God starts reminding me:

It’s not too late.

I’m Still Figuring Out What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

For most of my adult life, I knew what I had to do.

I had children to raise. Bills to pay. Responsibilities to take care of. A career to build. Life required me to be practical, and I became very good at doing what needed to be done. Especially when it came to my career, I’ve spent a lot of years doing what I had to do rather than doing what I actually wanted to do.

And honestly, I don’t think I’m alone in that.

There are seasons of life when your dreams have to take a back seat to responsibility.

When you’re raising kids, paying the mortgage, showing up for work, taking care of everyone else, and simply trying to keep all the plates spinning, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” isn’t exactly at the top of the list.

But now my girls are grown.

I will always be Mom. That doesn’t go away just because your children become adults. But being Mom isn’t the same kind of all-consuming priority it was when they were little.

And that leaves me with a question I haven’t really had the freedom to ask before:

What do I actually want?

Not what do I need to do.

Not what makes the most sense.

Not what am I supposed to do.

What do I want to do?

I’m still figuring that out.

I’m Still Figuring Out My Future

I honestly thought that by almost 58, I would have some of this stuff settled.

My finances.

My retirement.

My career.

My friendships.

My future.

Instead, some days it feels like I’m just getting started. And that can be unsettling. The years ahead of me are fewer than the years behind me now. That is simply a fact of getting older, but sometimes facts have a way of becoming very loud in your head.

I don’t want to waste the time I have left.

I want to build something meaningful.

I want to write.

I want to podcast.

I want to do something that matters.

I want to use the things God has given me instead of continuing to tell myself that I’ll get around to them someday.

And yes, I still have practical things to figure out too.

Money. Retirement. Career decisions. What the next season of life actually looks like. But I’m learning that maybe I don’t have to solve my entire future today.

I’m Still Learning What Total Submission Really Looks Like

This one has been a big one for me.

I talk about trusting God. I believe in trusting God.

But actually surrendering control?

Well…

That’s a little different.

I have a tendency to want a plan. Not just a plan, either. I want the steps. I want to know what happens next. I want to know how long it will take. I want to know what the outcome will be.

Honestly, I would probably be very happy if God handed me a five-page, numbered, color-coded process with a timeline and expected results.

But that’s not usually how God works.

Instead, sometimes He gives me a seed. And then He asks me to plant it. That’s where the hard part begins. I have to do the work of tending it. Watering it. Protecting it. Being patient.

Continuing to care for something even when I can’t see what it’s becoming.

And I have to trust that God knows what He’s doing even when I can’t see the whole process.

Maybe that’s what total submission actually looks like.

Not knowing everything.

Not controlling everything.

Not having a perfect process.

Just trusting God enough to take the next step.

God Keeps Reminding Me It’s Not Too Late

This is another thing He keeps bringing me back to.

It’s not too late.

I don’t know what the next few years will hold. I don’t know exactly how everything will come together. But I do know that God isn’t limited by my timeline. He’s not looking at my age and thinking, “Well, I guess we missed our opportunity.” And I’m pretty sure He’s not sitting there worried that I haven’t followed the perfect process.

Because I have absolutely not followed the perfect process.

I tend to think I need to get everything right before I begin.

Maybe the seed doesn’t have to be perfect.

Maybe I don’t have to be perfect either.

Maybe I just need to be brave enough to plant it.

I’m Still Figuring Out My Calling

For a long time, I thought calling was something you figured out once. Like God would hand you a very clear blueprint and you would suddenly know exactly what you were supposed to do with your life. I’m starting to see it differently.

Maybe calling isn’t always a job description.

Maybe sometimes it’s a desire God keeps putting in your heart.

A nudge you can’t quite ignore.

A seed.

And there are some seeds that have been growing in me for a while now.

I want to write.

I want to podcast.

I want to learn God’s Word more deeply, and I’ve found that walking through Scripture has become something I genuinely desire.

I want to know Scripture so well that it becomes part of how I think and live. I’ve written before about why I’m not Super Christian Wonder Woman, and I’m becoming increasingly comfortable with that.

I want to talk about what I’m learning.

I want to tell stories.

I want to encourage people.

I want people to feel a little less alone.

I don’t know exactly what all of that will become.

And for once, I’m trying not to demand that I know.

Maybe I can simply be faithful with what God has already put in my hands.

And Then There’s the Fact That I’m a Grandmother

Can we just pause for a minute?

I’m a grandmother.

I still find that hilarious.

There are moments when I look at Sophia and think, “How in the world am I old enough to be somebody’s grandmother?” And then I remember that I’m almost 58 and apparently the math checks out.

But there’s something else about being a grandmother that makes me laugh.

I wasn’t the perfect mom. Not even close. I made mistakes. I got things wrong. There are things I wish I could go back and do differently.

And yet my girls still love me.

They still value me.

They still want me in their lives.

They still want me to be counted among their best friends.

And one of them made me a grandmother. There’s something incredibly humbling about that. Maybe that’s another lesson I’m still learning.

Grace doesn’t require perfection.

Sometimes you get to look at the people you love and realize that despite all the things you got wrong, love remained.

That’s a pretty beautiful thing.

Maybe I’m Not Running Out of Time

Maybe that’s what I’m still learning.

I’m not guaranteed endless years. None of us are. But maybe I don’t need to spend the years I do have panicking about everything I haven’t accomplished yet. Maybe I just need to plant the seed.

Do the work.

Water it.

Protect it.

Be patient.

Trust God when I can’t see what comes next. I don’t need the entire process mapped out. I don’t need to know exactly what the harvest will look like. And I certainly don’t need to be perfect. I just need to be brave enough to take the next step.

Maybe 58 isn’t the beginning of the end.

Maybe it’s the beginning of something I didn’t have the freedom, courage, or understanding to begin before.

Maybe God isn’t finished with me yet.

Actually, I know He isn’t.

So here I am.

Almost 58.

Still figuring things out.

Still learning.

Still dreaming.

Still laughing that I’m somebody’s grandmother.

Still wondering what I’m going to be when I grow up.

And still planting seeds.

One seed. One step. One day at a time.

I’ll let God handle the harvest.

A Little Something to Think About

Maybe you’re not 58. Maybe you’re 28. Or 42. Or 70.

Maybe you’re looking at your own life and wondering how you got here, what comes next, or whether there’s still time to become the person you hoped you’d be.

If that’s you, I hope you know this:

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

You don’t need the perfect plan.

You don’t need to see the whole path.

Maybe you just need to plant the seed you already have.

What are you still figuring out?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Maybe we’re figuring out more of the same things than we realize. ❤️

Midlife & Beyond

Almost 58 and Still Figuring It Out

Posted on August 21, 2026August 13, 2026 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Life is funny. Or so they say.

I remember being in high school, long ago, and thinking I would have my whole life figured out by the time I reached my 50s. Fifty seemed positively ancient back then.

Then I graduated and started working. I remember thinking, “Just a few more years, and then I’ll get married and life will begin.”

I assumed I would spend my 20s sorting everything out and then spend my 30s really living life.

Of course, life had other plans.

My 30s arrived, and I found myself in an unhappy marriage with two beautiful girls who still bring so much sparkle to my life. I remember thinking, This isn’t how this was supposed to go.

By the end of my 30s, I was divorced and living back at home, thank God. I entered my 40s trying to rebuild not only my life, but myself.

Don’t get me wrong. Divorce freed me to finally start living again, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t one of the most painful seasons of my life.

Just Keeping My Head Above Water

I feel like I surfed through most of my 40s.

Neither here nor there.

Just maintaining. Keeping my head above water. Doing what needed to be done and trying to figure out what came next.

Then, near the end of my 40s, life changed again.

Big.

And painful.

I lost the two women who had been my anchors.

So once again, I entered another decade rebuilding my life and rebuilding myself.

Only this time, there wasn’t anyone to make it happen for me like there had been before.

It was just me and God.

Eight Years of Growth

I’m almost 58 now, and these past eight years haven’t exactly been easy.

But something has changed.

I can honestly say I’ve probably experienced more personal growth during these years than I did in all the decades before them.

I built a life for my girls and me as we learned to heal after losing my mom and my aunt.

I watched my little girl get married to the man of her dreams.

My older daughter was diagnosed with autism and found her person for this life.

I bought a house with my sister.

I became a grandmother.

Those things are precious. They are some of the sweetest gifts God has given me.

But even those things don’t compare to the deeper work God has been doing in me.

The correction.

The pruning.

The uncomfortable moments when He lovingly shows me that some things I thought were simply who I am are actually things He wants to change.

And honestly, that has been one of the greatest gifts of this season.

Finally Saying Yes

For the first time in my life, I feel like I am fully submitted to His will, whatever that may be.

And yes, I’m saying yes.

Although I am still respectfully asking Him not to relocate me to Florida or call me to be a missionary somewhere without air conditioning, where bugs and snakes are apparently considered part of the scenery.

But other than that?

Yes, Lord.

I’m also finally beginning to release my Vulcan death grip on old hurts.

And hear me when I say this: letting go of past hurts isn’t always about just forgiving someone else. Sometimes it’s about repenting for the part I played in the story.

That one hurts.

But it’s also freeing.

For a long time, I thought healing meant getting past what other people had done to me. Now I’m realizing that healing also means allowing God to show me where I need to take responsibility, change, repent, and move forward.

That kind of honesty isn’t always comfortable.

But freedom rarely is.

So What’s the Plan?

So what’s the plan as I head toward my 60s?

Start now.

Don’t be a “one day” girl.

Be a “day one” woman.

I heard a pastor say that once, and it has stayed with me.

I have two years and two months left in my 50s, and I don’t want to end this decade the way the last two ended, with me simply surviving, maintaining, or waiting for the next thing to happen.

I want to walk into my 60s prepared.

Not perfect.

Prepared.

Strong in Mind and Body

I want to be strong.

Strong in mind.

Strong in body.

Strong in faith.

I want a healthy mind that recognizes the enemy’s attacks instead of entertaining every fearful thought that walks through the door.

I want to be like a deeply rooted tree, steady when the storms come and not swept away by every tornado of what if and what now.

I want to live in a healthy body, fueled in a way that honors God and strong enough to move easily.

I want to dance in it.

Ride bikes in it.

Get down on the floor and roll around with my grandchildren in it.

And I want to be able to do whatever God asks of me for as long as He gives me.

A Prayer Life That Moves Heaven

I want a prayer life that breaks chains and rattles walls.

I want my daughters and sons-in-law to know they have a praying mama.

More than that, I want my grandchildren to grow up knowing, My grandma prays. And when Grandma prays, Heaven moves.

I don’t want prayer to be something I squeeze into my day when everything else is finished.

I want it to be the foundation underneath everything else.

Less Fear, More Obedience

I want to become fearless about reaching people for Jesus.

Not just being a pillar in my church, but being willing to step outside the comfortable walls of church and talk to someone about Jesus without letting fear talk me out of obedience.

I want to be willing to have the conversation.

To offer encouragement.

To pray for someone.

To share what Jesus has done in my life.

And I want my words to sound less like me and more like the Father.

Freedom to Say Yes

I want to be debt free, owing no one anything except a debt of love.

Because there is a different kind of freedom that comes when you aren’t financially tied down and can say yes when God puts someone on your heart.

We are blessed to be a blessing.

And I want to be free to bless people.

I want to be closer than ever to retirement, not because I don’t want to work, but because I want the work I do to be God-ordained work.

I want to use the gifts, talents, experiences, and even the hobbies God has given me to encourage people.

I want to reach younger women.

I want to minister to older women.

I want to write.

I want to create.

I want to serve.

I want to make people laugh.

I want to tell stories that point people back to Jesus.

And I don’t want to wait until I retire to start living that way.

This Is the Part That Matters

That’s the thing I’m finally beginning to understand. The woman I want to be in my 60s isn’t going to magically appear when I blow out the candles on my 60th birthday. The life I want isn’t waiting for me somewhere in the future. It is being built right now, in the choices I make today, the things I surrender today, the hurts I finally release, the habits I build, the prayers I pray, and the obedience that sometimes feels uncomfortable.

Maybe that’s what this season of life is really about. Not starting over. Not becoming someone completely different. But allowing God to finish the work He started in me all those years ago.

I spent a lot of my younger years waiting for my life to begin. I don’t want to do that anymore. My life isn’t waiting for me somewhere in my 60s. It’s happening right now.

And for the first time, I don’t need to have the whole thing figured out. I just need to know Who is leading me.

So here I am. Almost 58. Still learning. Still growing. Still messing things up occasionally. Still asking God to please keep the snakes out of my future. But more surrendered than I’ve ever been, and ready.

Not for some perfect future version of my life.

For today. For this season. For whatever God puts in front of me next.

Midlife & Beyond

It’s OK to Want Something Just for You

Posted on July 28, 2026August 7, 2026 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

There comes a point in midlife when a question quietly begins to rise in your heart: What do I want? Not what does everyone else need from me. Not what does my job require. Not what would make my family comfortable. But what do I truly desire in this season of life?

For many women, that question feels uncomfortable at first. We spent so many years caring for everyone else that we became experts at knowing what other people needed before they even asked. We managed schedules, carried responsibilities, solved problems, and made sure the people we loved had what they needed. Somewhere along the way, we became so focused on giving that we forgot how to receive.

Then life begins to shift.

Our children grow older. Our homes become quieter. Our responsibilities change. We may still work, still care for others, and still have plenty on our plates, but something feels different. There is a little more space to breathe, and in that space, we may find ourselves wondering if it is okay to want something for ourselves again.

And maybe you have asked yourself the same questions I have.

Is it selfish to want more?

Is it too late to start something new?

Have I already missed my opportunity?

I want to remind you of something I have been learning in this season: God does not stop working in our lives simply because we reach a certain age. He is not finished writing our stories because our children grow up, because our careers change, or because we enter a new chapter.

In fact, sometimes the later seasons of life are where God begins revealing parts of ourselves we never had time to explore before.

The Years When Everyone Else Came First

When I look back over my life, I can see how much of it centered around caring for others. I worked full time. I raised my daughters. I handled responsibilities that needed to be handled because that was the season I was in. There were years when I did not spend much time thinking about what I wanted because there were simply too many other things that needed my attention.

And honestly, I would not change those years.

Those seasons shaped me. They taught me patience, perseverance, compassion, and strength. They showed me how deeply I could love and how much I could carry when life required me to keep going.

But somewhere along the way, like many women, I learned to put myself last.

Maybe you know what that feels like. You make sure everyone else has dinner before you think about what you need. You take care of everyone’s emotions before you acknowledge your own. You celebrate everyone else’s accomplishments while quietly wondering what happened to the dreams you once carried.

The beautiful thing about God is that He does not ask us to erase those years. He uses them.

Every season matters.

Every lesson matters.

Every experience matters.

Rediscovering Yourself in a New Season

One of the biggest surprises of midlife is realizing that you are not the same woman you were twenty years ago.

And that is a good thing.

You have learned. You have grown. You have walked through things you never expected to face. You have gained wisdom that only comes through experience.

But sometimes we struggle because we compare our current season to who we used to be. We expect ourselves to have the same energy, the same desires, and the same dreams we had years ago.

But God is not asking us to stay the same.

He is continually shaping us.

Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

I love this reminder because God specializes in new beginnings. He does not look at our age, our past mistakes, or the years we spent focused on others and decide our best days are behind us.

He sees a woman with wisdom.

He sees a woman with experience.

He sees a woman who has been refined through every season she has walked through.

Wanting Something for Yourself Does Not Mean You Love Others Less

I think many women struggle with guilt when they begin wanting something different. We wonder if pursuing our own interests means we are becoming selfish. We worry that making space for ourselves means we are taking something away from the people we love.

But I am learning that gratitude and desire can exist together.

You can be thankful for the life God has given you and still feel Him calling you toward something new.

You can love your family deeply and still make room for your own dreams.

You can appreciate your career and still wonder if God has another purpose waiting for you.

Wanting something for yourself does not mean you are unhappy with your life. Sometimes it means God is reminding you that He created you with gifts, passions, and purpose that still matter.

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”

The dreams, talents, and interests God placed inside you are not mistakes. They are part of how He created you.

Learning to Receive After a Lifetime of Giving

For many years, I understood love primarily through giving. I gave my time. I gave my energy. I gave my attention. I gave whatever was needed because that is what love often looks like.

But this season is teaching me that God also invites me to receive.

To receive rest.

To receive joy.

To receive creativity.

To receive the gifts He has placed inside me.

Sometimes women are comfortable serving but uncomfortable allowing themselves to be cared for. We know how to show up for everyone else, but we struggle to believe we are worthy of making space for ourselves.

Yet Jesus Himself modeled rest. Throughout Scripture, we see Him stepping away, praying, and making time to reconnect with the Father.

If Jesus needed moments of rest and renewal, we should not feel guilty for needing them too.

What Does God Still Have For You?

Maybe there is something you have always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to pursue.

Maybe you want to write.

Maybe you want to start a new career.

Maybe you want to create something with your hands.

Maybe you want to volunteer, learn, travel, or simply slow down enough to enjoy the life you have built.

Whatever it is, bring it before God.

Ask Him what this season can look like.

Ask Him what dreams He wants to awaken.

Ask Him what parts of yourself you may have forgotten while caring for everyone else.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”

God is not surprised by this season of your life. He already knows where you are going, and He can guide each step forward.

You Are Not Too Late

I think many women need permission to admit they still have dreams.

So let me remind you today: you are not too old, and you are not too late.

God is still working.

God is still creating.

God is still calling.

The same God who strengthened you through the demanding seasons of motherhood, career, and responsibility is the same God who walks with you now.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

That does not mean God gives us every desire we have. It means that as we walk closely with Him, He shapes our hearts and guides our dreams according to His purpose.

Maybe this season is not about becoming someone new.

Maybe it is about finally making room for the woman God has been shaping all along.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

I would love to hear from you. What is something you have always wanted to do but kept putting aside because everyone else needed you first?

Maybe this is the season to bring that dream back to God and ask Him what He wants to do with it.

Share your thoughts in the comments. Your story may be the encouragement another woman needs today.

Because your story is not over.

God is still writing it.

Midlife & Beyond

Choosing Peace Over Productivity: Finding Rest and Purpose in Midlife

Posted on July 10, 2026August 7, 2026 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

There comes a point in life when you begin to notice a shift you can no longer ignore.

You don’t simply get older.

You get clearer.

Clearer about what matters. Clearer about what drains you. Clearer about what you no longer want to carry just because you have carried it for years.

For me, this season of life has brought me to one simple realization: I don’t want to spend the rest of my life chasing productivity. I want to learn how to live with peace.

Not because I no longer have responsibilities. Not because life suddenly became easy. But because I have finally realized that a busy life and a meaningful life are not always the same thing.

When Productivity Became My Identity

For most of my life, I measured myself by what I accomplished.

I worked full time. I raised my daughters. I managed a home. I solved problems before they became bigger problems. I stayed busy because life required me to keep moving.

But somewhere along the way, productivity became more than something I did. It became how I saw myself.

If I wasn’t accomplishing something, I felt behind.

If I slowed down, I felt guilty.

If I rested, I wondered what I should be doing instead.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had connected my value to my ability to produce.

And after years of living that way, I began to understand something important.

God never created me to prove my worth through my accomplishments.

The Midlife Season That Changed My Perspective

Now I find myself in a different season of life.

My daughters are grown and building lives of their own. One is a wife and mother experiencing her own journey of raising a family. The other has created a life filled with work, friendships, and the things she enjoys.

And I find myself standing in a place I once only imagined.

I am watching the next generation begin while learning how to step back from the constant urgency that once filled my days.

At first, that transition felt strange.

When you spend years being needed, slowing down can feel uncomfortable. You start wondering who you are when you aren’t constantly fixing, helping, or accomplishing.

But somewhere along the way, something changed.

I realized I didn’t want to spend my days rushing from one thing to the next.

I wanted to enjoy the life God has given me.

I wanted to notice the little moments.

I wanted peace.

Choosing Peace on Purpose

Peace does not happen accidentally in midlife.

Not in a world that celebrates busyness. Not in a culture that often measures our worth by what we accomplish. Not after years of believing that doing more means being more valuable.

Peace is something I have to choose.

Some days that means sitting outside a little longer and enjoying the quiet. Some days it means leaving things unfinished and trusting they will still be there tomorrow. Sometimes it means saying no without feeling like I need to explain myself.

And sometimes it simply means closing my laptop, turning off the noise, and reminding myself that I am not behind in life.

I am exactly where God has placed me.

Jesus speaks directly into this kind of weariness in Matthew 11:28:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I love that Jesus doesn’t tell us to come after we have finished everything.

He invites us to come while we are tired.

He offers rest before we have earned it.

And the older I get, the more I understand that rest is not something I have to deserve. It is a gift God wants me to receive.

Learning to See Peace Differently

For years, I thought peace would come when my schedule was empty and everything was finished.

But I have learned that peace is not found in having nothing to do.

Peace comes from having a heart that trusts God.

I can still work. I can still care for the people I love. I can still pursue the dreams God has placed in my heart. But I no longer want those things to come at the expense of my peace.

Isaiah 26:3 reminds me:

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Peace grows when trust replaces striving.

And after spending so many years striving, learning to trust feels like freedom.

Letting Go of the Need to Be Enough

One of the greatest gifts of this season has been learning to release the pressure of always needing to do enough.

Enough work.

Enough effort.

Enough responsibility.

Enough proof that I was doing well.

The problem with chasing enough is that enough always moves.

No matter what you accomplish, there is always something else waiting.

But my worth was never meant to be measured by my productivity.

It has always been rooted in who I am in Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”

We are created for purpose.

But we are not created to be consumed by our purpose.

There is a difference between living with purpose and living under pressure.

Finding a New Rhythm After 50

As I move through my fifties and look toward my sixties, I feel God inviting me into a different rhythm.

Not a smaller life.

A more intentional one.

I don’t want to rush through my mornings anymore. I don’t want to fill every quiet moment just because silence feels unfamiliar. I don’t want to measure the value of my day by how many things I crossed off a list.

I want to notice my life while I am living it.

The sound of birds outside my window.

The comfort of a quiet home.

The conversations with my daughters.

The moments I get to share with my granddaughter.

The simple blessings that I once moved past too quickly.

Psalm 46:10 says:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

There was a time when stillness felt unproductive.

Now it feels like awareness.

It gives me space to notice God’s presence and appreciate the season I am in.

Peace Is Becoming My Measure of a Good Life

For years, I ended my days asking myself, “Did I do enough?”

Now I ask different questions.

Was I present today?

Did I notice God working?

Did I live with peace or pressure?

Those questions have changed everything.

Because productivity can fill a calendar, but peace fills a soul.

I no longer want a life that only looks full from the outside.

I want a life that feels full on the inside.

A life filled with faith.

A life filled with purpose.

A life filled with moments I slow down enough to enjoy.

Choosing Peace Is Part of Growing

I used to think slowing down meant I was falling behind.

Now I see it differently.

Choosing peace does not mean giving up.

It means growing.

It means releasing the pressure to prove myself and embracing the freedom to simply be who God created me to be.

The life I spent so many years chasing was not somewhere far away.

It was unfolding in front of me all along.

I just needed to slow down long enough to see it.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Have you found yourself slowing down in this season of life? Are you learning that peace is more valuable than constantly staying busy?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Your story may be exactly what another woman needs to hear today.

If this encouraged you, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that her worth is not measured by her productivity.

And if you are walking through midlife alongside me, I invite you to come back for more conversations about faith, purpose, and finding joy in the season God has given us.

Midlife & Beyond

Godly Rest Is Earned, Not Entitled

Posted on April 14, 2026July 30, 2026 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

We live in a world obsessed with rest.

Self-care. Slow living. Soft life. Early retirement. “I’m just tired.” We hear it everywhere. And while I absolutely believe rest is sacred, I also believe we’ve confused Godly rest with comfort without contribution.

Recently, I had a conversation with my daughter, Emilie, that put words to something I’ve been feeling for a long time.

Emilie works hard.

Spring, summer, and fall in her home are not lazy seasons. They are full. She preserves vegetables, cans fruit, bakes bread, prepares meals, freezes food, and stocks her pantry. She plans ahead. She thinks long-term. She equips her household with intention.

Why?

So that when winter comes, she can rest.

Not scramble. Not panic. Not strive.
Rest.

That is Godly rest.

God Worked Before He Rested

In the opening chapter of Genesis, we see the original pattern for life. God created the heavens and the earth in six days. He spoke light into existence. He separated land and sea. He formed plants, stars, animals, and mankind.

Six full days of work.

Then — and only then — He rested.

Scripture tells us in Genesis 2:2 that on the seventh day, God finished His work and rested from all He had done.

He did not rest instead of working.
He rested after working.

There is a divine order there.

It’s Not Just Spiritual — It’s Mathematical

When you look at the creation pattern, it’s almost like a math equation:

6 days of work
1 day of rest

That’s a 6:1 ratio. Roughly 85% work, 15% rest.

Emilie unintentionally mirrors this rhythm in her own life. She works three quarters of the year preparing her home. Then she rests in the winter, enjoying the fruit of her labor.

It’s simple math.

Work + Preparation = Rest
No Work + No Preparation = Stress

Yet so many people today want the winter rest without the spring planting.

They want the harvest without the sowing.
The provision without the preparation.
The peace without the discipline.

The Danger of Wanting Rest Without Work

Wanting rest without work doesn’t produce peace. It produces anxiety.

Because rest without preparation is fragile. It depends on luck, others’ labor, or constant scrambling.

Godly rest, on the other hand, is stable.

It’s the feeling of opening your freezer in January and knowing it’s full because you filled it in July.

It’s sitting down at the end of the week knowing you gave your best.

It’s Sabbath that feels sweet because you poured yourself out Monday through Saturday.

Real rest feels good because something was accomplished.

Godly Rest Is Rhythmic, Not Lazy

God did not design us for burnout. But He also did not design us for idleness.

Work came before the fall. Purpose was part of Eden. Tending the garden was a gift, not a punishment.

Rest is not an escape from responsibility.
It is a reward of faithfulness.

When Emilie rests in the winter, it isn’t laziness. It’s wisdom. It’s the natural outcome of diligence. She isn’t exhausted and resentful — she is satisfied.

That’s the difference.

The Easy Life Is a Mirage

Our culture sells the idea of an easy life right now. Immediate comfort. Immediate reward. Immediate rest.

But Scripture paints a different picture.

There is sowing and reaping.
There is planting and harvesting.
There is working and resting.

If we bypass the working season, we rob ourselves of the deep satisfaction that makes rest meaningful.

Godly rest isn’t about doing nothing all the time. It’s about honoring the rhythm God established from the beginning.

The Invitation

Maybe the question isn’t, “Why am I so tired?”

Maybe the better question is, “Have I honored the rhythm?”

Have I worked faithfully?
Have I prepared wisely?
Have I embraced my season?

Because when work is done with purpose, rest becomes holy.

Emilie understands something simple but profound: you can’t rest well in winter if you wasted the summer.

God showed us the formula in the very first pages of Scripture. Six days He worked. One day He rested.

It’s not just theology.
It’s design.
It’s math.
It’s wisdom.

And it still works.