As a midlife woman I am sure that you’ve experienced your share of deception over the years. As you’ve listened to my story, maybe you can relate to a specific time you’ve been deceived. It could be a financial situation like the bitcoins where you thought that you were going to strike it rich… maybe you were deceived at work.. after years of pouring your heart and soul into your career… you were part of layoffs or maybe you realized that there was more to life than climbing the corporate ladder. 

Deception often shows up in relationships.  I see this alot with the moms in the middle that I work with. They've spent years taking care of their children, meeting the needs of their family and have put their marriage on the back burner. All of the sudden when they become empty nesters they find themselves looking at their spouse who is a stranger. They have been deceived for years convincing themselves that their marriage is ok, they are just busy. If this is you, don’t despair…once you recognize this situation, you can work together to reconnect and be stronger than ever! I’ve seen it happen so many times with the women that I coach. 

If you have been deceived, don’t beat yourself up! Give yourself some grace and use it as an opportunity to learn the truth. 

I have come up with three stages that seem to be common in  deception.

First, it begins with thought which creates curiosity. 

Second, a desire is planted in the heart or mind. This could mean the desire creates doubt in a current belief or because of that desire for something different a new belief is beginning to take hold. This desire could simply be to feel a different way.

Third, there is an intent toward action. This action could be to release old beliefs and replace them with a new one or to get you to take some sort of action based on your new transformed belief. Often this action creates that desire to feel something different.

Here is how deception works… The truth is hidden and false information shared. Deception is not new, in fact it started at the beginning of time and the ring leader is Satan. 

Satan is always doing this, and the reason he’s doing it is to separate you and I from our Father in Heaven. 

Satan wants you and I to live in the darkness being deceived about God’s great love. In Scripture Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) Satan hates the light of Christ and because of this he tries to pull every trick in the book to keep us from seeing his glory. 

Jennie is a Catholic speaker, Life Coach, Podcaster, Weekly Radio Show Host on Nashville Catholic Radio, and founder of Catholic Moms in the Middle. After 26 years of working in Catholic education, Jennie felt God calling her "to step out of the boat" to serve in a new way. In her new ministry as a Catholic Life Coach, she now equips and encourages middle-life moms to reconnect with who they are and their unique God-given purpose so they can MAGNIFY Christ in their corner of the world.