Pause – How to enjoy God, find hope & bear fruit through midlife and the menopause by Sarah Allen (10Publishing, 2024)

I’m must admit to being rather dismissive when I first saw this book being publicised. I mean, really? Do we really have to have a Christian book about every stage of life… even the menopause? I confess, the main reason I picked it up was because the author is British, so I suspected that at the very least I could expect a down-to-earth read.

My instincts were right – Sarah Allen is disarmingly honest from the first page and the book is a mix of frankness, realism and (a little) sympathy. Rather like a bit of advice from a close friend in fact.

Time is not supposed to stand still. And to want it to is, at its worst, a denial of God’s creative order and rhythm. However, while we live in a fallen world and our bodies age as time passes, our experiences in life may lead us to reflect with disappointment on the past, we may struggle to accept that things have not turned out the way we wanted, and amongst all this the mid-life period can be one of the busiest with growing demands in the family and the potential for increased responsibility in employment. No wonder we can feel overwhelmed and careworn!

With examples and anecdotes Sarah Allen shows that she understands all these challenges and more, but she gently reminds us that this doesn’t change who we are before God. Our changing bodies, minds and lives do not change our identity in Christ. Indeed the Bible honours age “The hoary [grey/white with age] head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). The gradual decline of our bodies should serve to remind us that our time in this world is fleeting, and that we should be seeking to glorify God in all we do, while we can. May our prayer be like the psalmist “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come” (Psalm 71:18).

I’m not saying this is an essential read, but it certainly isn’t a waste of an hour. It will make you realise you’re not the only one feeling like mid-life is a rollercoaster ride, it will give you practical points to reflect on and it will remind you of C T Studd’s famous quote…

Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.

C T Studd

Lorna