Remember Who You Are, Mama

Tonight we will talk about remembering who you are in the midst of your motherhood, Mama. 

Transcript

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Do you ever find that you have a hard time remembering who you are in light of your motherhood? We're going to talk about that tonight on Midlight Mamas. Welcome back to Midlight. We're so glad you're here, Mama. Tonight I want to talk to you about remembering who you are, Mama. Because I think that in the midst of motherhood, we can forget our identity sometimes and who we are because we get so busy tending to the needs of others. And when we are taking care of the needs of others and we're covered in spit-up, or we're up in the middle of the night feeling just a mess, and then that carries over into the day, or you feel like you're just a mom or just a source of milk or just the one who keeps everyone else going, you can easily feel like you no longer have that same identity you once knew before you had babies. There is a real thing that happens when we become mamas and we start to feel like we disappear into that role. But God actually gave us that as an addition to who he's already called us to be. Because the truth is, you are chosen, loved, called, and held by him. And I know that sometimes even hearing those words is hard to receive, like you don't actually understand the weight of that, that you are chosen by God, that you are loved by God and called by him and even held by him. But I want to remind you of what the word says about who we are as mamas and who you are as an individual to the Lord. Right here in Isaiah chapter 43, in verse 1, it says, But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, and you are mine. He goes on in verse two to say, When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you, for I am the Lord, your God, the holy one of Israel, your Savior. That is a beautiful place in Scripture where God reminds us that we are His, that He knows us by our name, and He has redeemed us. And the words you are mine are especially comforting when we feel lost in the demands of motherhood. When we feel invisible or depleted, we can still know that we are claimed by the one who formed us. And it carries that do not fear that we need to hear when we need something to speak to that anxiety that can sometimes come in the nighttime of mothering. But the first thing I want you to remember tonight about yourself, Mama, is that he has called you by name and you are his. The next verse I want to take you to is 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9, and it says, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. In this verse, Peter is telling believers who they are in God's eyes. And what's interesting is it's not about what they do, but who they belong to. So, mamas, when it's two in the morning or two in the afternoon, no matter what time of the day it is, this is powerful because it reminds you that you are not just the one who feeds the baby or the one who is exhausted. You are chosen. You are set apart and you belong to God as his treasured possession. It also gives us purpose in this verse because we exist to declare his praises even in the quiet hidden moments of our lives as mothers. We exist to declare God's praises in our life. Now I want to take you over to Ephesians chapter two and verse ten, where it says, For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. And this verse shifts us from focus on performance to design. We are God's handiwork, his work of art. And the good work that we do includes the hidden work of nursing, bottle feeding, comforting, staying present with our families. We're prepared by God for our families. And it helps push back against this feeling that we might have that we're just surviving or we're not doing enough. And the very things that we are doing, whether night or day, are the good works that God already planned for us to do. And we can know that those little acts are very important parts of what God wanted us to do as mamas. I now want to take you over to Romans chapter 8 and verses 14 through 16. And it says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. It's really interesting to think about that, that we are actually children of God, but he reminds us of this because he wants us to know about our belonging and the assurance that we are his. We are a daughter of God. And when our emotions are raw and our sense of self can feel shaky, this verse offers something more stable than our feelings, the Spirit's own testimony about us. We can rest in the truth that we are children of God even when we don't feel strong or capable. God says, You are my daughter. The next verse I want to take you to is Psalm 139, verses 13 through 14, where it says, For you created my innermost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. This reminds us, Mamas, that we are intentionally formed by God. We are not an accident or an afterthought, and every part of us was knit together with care. For you, Mama, who may feel like your body and your identity have been completely taken over by motherhood. This verse gently restores our dignity. We are still fearfully and wonderfully made, even in this season when we don't even recognize our bodies or sometimes our emotions. God is with us, Mama. And tonight I wanted to just take a time to remind you of who you are, truly before the Lord. Mamas, I want to encourage you to think back to what you liked to play as a little girl and what you enjoyed doing as you grew up. For me, I always played with my cabbage patch babies, my baby dolls, and my horses. You know what's funny about that? Those are the very things I still enjoy doing today. I enjoy tending to my children and my babies, and I love horses. And I love time spent just out on God's land. I enjoy a good book, I enjoy a good conversation, I enjoy making food. There are parts of me that haven't changed much since I was a little girl, even though I now have so many children, and I'm a wife, and I have beautiful titles that I carry. You see, I remember who I am. I remember that I am a gentle woman who loves the Lord, who loves to read the Bible, who enjoys simple things like crocheting and knitting and reading a good book, and writing, and talking to you guys, and kneading sourdough bread. You see, I can remember the parts of me that make up also who I am. What about you, mama? What makes up you? I want you to think about that tonight. Marinate in that idea. You can even message me if you want. Jessica at midlightpodcast dot com. Any time. You can send me a prayer request too. So tonight, mammas, I want to leave you with a blessing. May the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face to shine upon you, be gracious unto you and give you peace. Amen. That's number six, twenty four through twenty six. Until next time, mamas, remember who you are. You are so many things. Take care, mamas, and we'll talk again soon.