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Today, I am interviewing a woman from Missouri who offers people over 50 some hope for the hard times. It’s a topic of great familiarity to seasoned citizens who have lost a job, had to move, experienced an empty nest or the death of a loved one, are struggling with illness or caring for someone who is.
Sarah Gerininger is a “youngun” by Forward From 50 standards, but she has been involved in women’s ministries for several years. She said 2022 and 2023 were some of the hardest years of her life. As a result, she needed hope and relied on a number of devotionals to see her through those hard times.
After sharing an idea with a group of local followers, she was encouraged to assemble the collection of devotionals into a book so others could benefit from the information as well.
They are short-form devotionals, which means they are less than three pages in length and are designed to be read quickly so people can meditate on the message contained in them.
Sarah’s 15-year-old daughter, who has a keen eye for graphic design, even got involved in the project by helping to create the cover so that it appeals to men and women.
The 100 devotionals are sorted into 14 different chapters, including sections such as:
- God’s Unchanging Character Gives Us Hope
- Hope in Spiritual Battles
- Uplifting your Spirit on the Hard Days
- Overcoming Worry and Weariness on the Hard Days
- Handling Grief on the Hard Days
There are a number of reasons why people struggle through hard times, and Sarah said they should not discount spiritual warfare, which is intentionally inflicted to wear us down and keep us without hope.
Sarah also stresses the importance of self-care, which is an often-overlooked area for women who feel pulled into many directions and priorities in order to care for or meet the needs of many people.
Going through hard times can take its toll on personal relationships, Sara explained. She noted how older folks tend to not want to talk badly about family members, yet younger generations expect honesty, openness and authenticity in relationships.
In the past, Sarah said people lived for the hope of why lies ahead in terms of heavenly things. The modern generation is the first in history to live more for today. In fact, with the world moving a blistering speed today, people need hope just to get them through the day and week.
Without that hope, people can fall into addictions or depression when they try to numb the pain of feeling there is no hope for a better life.
I liked the routine Sarah follows to ensure she has more peace in her life, which starts with quiet time, Bible study and reading devotionals. However, she also gets in cardio training, maintains a healthy diet and takes naps because it works to tie in mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and relational health.
Sarah has a real passion for seasoned citizens. Her grandparents played a big role in raising her as a child. She loves having the perspective of older generations to guide her decision-making. As a result, Sarah thinks older folks can continue to play a big role in the lives of younger generations by conveying their wisdom and experience.
She outlined several things that people over 50 can do to make a difference in the lives of others. Sarah recalled how her 85-year-old grandmother is confined to her home, but still invests hours every day talking to other widows on the phone, listening to their stories and praying for them.
That is something anyone over 50 can do to help end the epidemic of loneliness among our seasoned citizens.
To connect with Sarah, visit www.sarahgeringer.com. People can subscribe to her inspirational newsletter titled “Tea on Tuesdays,” which comes out twice a month. All seven of Sarah’s books, including “Hope for the Hard Days,” are available on her website or on Amazon.com.
That’s all I have for this week’s show. If you’d like help in identifying a purpose for your life or to get help planning your next steps, I’m offering a complimentary brainstorming session to members of the Forward From 50 Facebook community. For details, connect with me on Facebook or visit www.forwardfrom50.com.
I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.
If you order one of Sarah’s books from the links above, Forward From 50 may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

After closing his business and enduring several painful years of uncertainty regarding what to do with his life, Greg founded Forward From 50 to help men and women over 50 to live more purposeful lives by pursuing things they are passionate about. A Wisconsin native, Greg currently lives in Arizona.