Pause by Sarah Allen

I wish I’d read this book in my 40s! It’s a must read for every woman facing the struggles of midlife and the process of ageing. I’d even say it’s a super helpful book for husbands to read (so much so that I asked the male faculty of the college I serve at to read it and discuss it with me). 

There are lots of books that will help you understand perimenopause, menopause, even how to cope with midlife changes and loss from a medical, psychological or self-help perspective. But what these books don’t do is help us consider what God has to say. The creator of the universe, the one who made us, and understands us. And not only that, our Saviour Jesus offers us the kind of hope that helps us cope and persevere with physical and emotional changes, loss, concerns about our ageing looks, regrets about the past, tiredness and the pressure of caring for children and ageing parents, mood swings, grief, the temptation to compare ourselves with others, making the most of midlife, and how to deal with the idols of self improvement industries. I also love the way this book explains the kinds of seasonal changes to expect as we enter our 40s and 50s and how they relate to the physical changes. 

Sarah Allen gives us solid Biblical teaching that helps us keep our eyes on Jesus as the source of comfort. Like all people, women are “like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” (Psalm 103:15-16). But in Christ, midlife and old age need not be depressing because God’s love and forgiveness is with those who fear Him (Psalm 103:3 and 17). And so with King David, in every season of life, we can say “Praise the LORD, all my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:2).

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Reviewed by Carmelina Read

Carmelina Read serves alongside her husband Jeff at Chatswood Presbyterian. This year she is speaking at EQUIP on Jonah 1.