02/14/2026
Sarah Guldalian writes:
➡️ Where have you confused being stuck for being stable?
➡️ Where have you confused stubbornness for principles?
➡️ Where have you confused fear for wisdom?
We come to points in our life where the former ways of thinking - the things that worked for our benefit in a season or moment - can actually become a detriment to us and to others.
45 is an interesting age. I have had the enormous blessing of doing the things I could have only dreamt of doing, and even beyond. If my 15-year-old self were to look at me, she’d say, “What?! No way!”
But we go so fast that we can become blind to the blessings, to the enjoyment of those answered prayers. We can blow right past them with hurried schedules or our own critical nature.
We can allow fear, excitement (or even exhaustion) of the future to keep us from pausing, breathing, and celebrating in the present. And we call it stewardship.
Yet, pausing to praise and honor God, as well as those around us, for the present and to thank them for the past… well, it’s a huge part of stewardship, of responsibility.
At this age, it is so important we pause to assess where we are, how far God has brought us, and also to examine ourselves before we head into the future. It feels like a bedrock of middle age.
For my husband and me, we have had our building phase and thrown all we have to it. We are now in a stewardship phase, called to better steward the health, gifts, and opportunities the Lord has given us. And I am realizing I must search my own heart and mind to do so more prudently. Now is not the time to get still or stagnant.
Now is a time to fully focus on the Lord and look to Him on how to better steward to be effective and, in that, at peace. It means thinking differently, leading more wisely — smarter, not harder. So, I am in a phase of shifting some things. Maybe you feel the need to do so too?
The Bible tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Could you use mind renewal? To keep going and growing, I can feel the need to change. And I am asking myself those hard questions,
• Where have I confused being stuck for being stable?
• Where have I confused stubbornness for principles?
• Where have I confused fear for wisdom?
I want to be more open to the Lord, to my family and close friends, to creativity, to health, to joy — to enjoyment in my personal life — instead of constant work. When I do that, I will show up more alive and alert in my work.
And God is so kind. I sense Him showing me some behaviors that need pruning, some thoughts that need transforming. I need to be honest about what my gifts are and what they are not. I need to shut off the noises distracting me, and He is showing me what that looks like.
One thing is this: If our day follows the news headlines, our minds will be ravaged and our hearts undone. They string us along purposely. It’s literally their job to keep us in suspense, to leave us undone, searching. And while it is important to know about what is happening in the world and to pray, there is a point where we can know too much and be too weighed down to move.
So, at 45, I am renewing my thinking and my habits, setting my sights on things higher, and getting excited again about things to come. I am shedding old skin and putting on new skin, new strength… but also new creativity and freshness of mind and heart. The Lord will help me. And He will help you too when you invite Him in.
Take yourself out to coffee, or take your spouse out walking, and ponder the future. What does it look like? Does it make you smile? If not, what behaviors need pruning or thoughts need renewing to help you get unstuck and excited again?
God woke you up today and put air in your lungs, so He has work yet for you to do. If that doesn’t excite you, go to Him. Allow Him to show you what needs to be added and subtracted. He will. And when we listen and obey, things shift for the better — for us and for those around us.
