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There is a certain kind of ache that settles quietly. Sometimes it shows up in the evening, when the house is finally still. And other times, it sneaks in while you’re scrolling, or maybe standing in the kitchen, or even watching someone else step into a life milestone you thought you’d have reached by now (new baby, anyone?)
It’s the pressure of unmet milestones.
The weight of unfulfilled dreams.
The sense that somehow, subtly, you’ve missed the memo?
So let me say this clearly, gently, and without conditions:
You are not behind.
Not in motherhood.
Not in life.
Not in your ‘calling’.
This is a timely reminder we all need to hear again… and again.
You Are Not Behind (Even When It Feels Personal)
The idea that we’re behind rarely comes from truth. Rather, it grows out of external pressures, comparisons, and a culture that treats life like a checklist.
Graduate. Marry. Succeed. Achieve. Move on to the next thing quickly and don’t dare look back!
But life doesn’t work like that. Because, life moves in seasons and stages, some loud, some hidden, some painfully slow. And yet, internal shame creeps in when our own timeline doesn’t match the one we imagined or absorbed without realising.
You may feel behind because life’s circumstances changed you.
Because motherhood altered your capacity.
Because grief, anxiety, illness, or caregiving reshaped your days.
Because your god-given callings didn’t arrive in the order you expected.
None of that means you failed; it means you’re human.
What Biblical Wisdom Says About Timing
So called ‘unmet milestones’ have a cheeky way of convincing us that something has gone really wrong, that we’ve (somehow) fallen behind in life because our story hasn’t happened the way we expected.
When the timelines we imagined don’t match our reality, internal shame can creep in, whispering that we should be further along by now.
But milestones were never meant to be measures of worth.
Why? Because they overlook the unseen work happening beneath the surface — the resilience being built, the healing taking place, the wisdom formed through life’s inevitable ups and downs.
What looks like delay is often preparation, or so I’ve discovered in my life so far, and what feels like falling behind is really, a deeper becoming of who I am.
This is where biblical wisdom offers a different way — not as platitudes, but as deep truths that steadies the soul.
Scripture never rushes people.
God never panics about timing.
From Abraham waiting decades for a promise, to women whose names we barely know but whose obedience mattered deeply, the Bible is filled with relatable stories of people living in the midst of a life that didn’t look “on track” from the outside.
There is biblical encouragement woven through scripture that reminds us: God’s good plans are not bound by our own human-made calendars.
You are not late to your own story, dear one.
Contentment Is Not The Same As Giving Up
Sometimes we misunderstand contentment as ‘settling’. But contentment is not passive. It’s active trust.
It’s choosing to believe that God or the universe (however you see it) is at work even when nothing looks impressive yet.
‘Right wondering’ as I call it, aka, the kind of wondering that stays curious instead of critical, allows us to ask gentler questions of ourselves:
What if this season is necessary?
What if this pause is shaping me?
What if this waiting is part of a tapestry of resilience I can’t yet see?
Contentment doesn’t mean your dreams were wrong, not at all. It means they’re still being held.
Your Story Is Still Unfolding
You are living a beautiful story, even if it doesn’t feel finished or impressive yet.
Every season — whether spent raising children, starting over, walking through loss, or quietly rebuilding something, is shaping into a meaningful experience.
This is true on college campuses and kitchen floors, in careers, hospital rooms and caregiving, in public wins and private trials.
God wastes nothing.
Not the waiting.
Not the detours.
Not the quiet commitment that no one applauds to.
You are not behind in the midst of a life that is still being written.
A Gentle Closing
If today you feel the weight of comparison …
If unfulfilled dreams ache louder than usual …
If you’re questioning whether you missed your moment …
Let this be your timely reminder:
You are not behind.
You are held.
You are called.
You are exactly where grace can meet you next.
And one day, you’ll look back and see not a delay, but a divine appointment that shaped you into who you needed to become.
Your journey matters.
Your pace is allowed.
And your life is unfolding day by day, so trust – the – process!
Here are some more reads for you:
Words of encouragement for mothers
As a lasting gift, I wrote this poem for you to read – I hope it resonates.
My book is also available on Amazon.com (not an affiliate link)
