Losing (and then finding) my identity in motherhood

It’s amazing just how much of our identity is rooted in what we do for a living. Especially for those of us who have always had high hopes for their careers. I recently discovered firsthand just how jarring it can be when we choose, or are no longer able, to undertake paid employment. It had became obvious that I needed to take some time off work to help care for my daughter who has recently been diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

As someone who has been in work since the age of 16 it was disconcerting to suddenly have no monthly salary coming in and to have no answer to give when someone asked where I worked. In a society which seems to value status and success more than nearly anything else, it can often feel that if you’re not striving for promotion in the workplace and hitting those career milestones then you’re not doing anything much of value.

What I have discovered is that when I feel discouraged about the current season of life I find myself in, it’s important to remind myself to return to God’s word and to fill my heart with the truth of how God views me.

READ MORE: God may be calling you to be ‘unuseful’, your identity isn’t in your busyness

King David tells us in Psalm 139 that ‘…I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’  My value and my worth are not rooted in success, wealth, beauty or any other thing but in the fact that I am created in the image of God. A wonderful truth! Ephesians 2:10 also reminds us that ‘…we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.’

If I am living in accordance with God’s will, then He has good works prepared for me to walk in, whether that’s working in a paid role, volunteering for a good cause or looking after small children

Which means that if I am living in accordance with God’s will, then He has good works prepared for me to walk in, whether that’s working in a paid role, volunteering for a good cause or looking after small children and running a household. I am finding that motherhood often demands an incredible amount  of you but that one of the reasons why it is so hard is because it is such an important vocation.

So if we find ourselves in a season where through choice or necessity, we have made the decision to be at home with our children, or if we even find ourselves out of employment for another reason, whether that’s redundancy or ill health etc., we should be encouraged that God looks at our heart and how we are following him, not at how much money is in our bank account, not the awards on our desk, nor at how many followers we have on LinkedIn. And to have faith that God will carry us through all of the many seasons of our life, including motherhood.

READ MORE: Who are you? Do you know your true identity?

I know it may not always feel like it but what we are doing now counts for eternity. Even in the mundane tasks, whether that’s ordering the weekly shop when all you want to do is go to bed, cleaning down the kitchen counter for the third time that day, or tidying up the toys strewn all over the living room for what seems to be the hundredth time; it is all for His glory. He sees how valuable your contribution is, to your children and to your home. And on those days when I find this new season of life hard, it is vital to remember that it His good opinion that is most important.

READ MORE: Liam Payne’s death reminded me of how we all need to find our identity in Christ

No matter which season of motherhood we are currently in, our identity first and foremost has to be centred in Jesus and what He says about us-that I am a new creation in Christ, that I am loved and forgiven, chosen and not forsaken. So, I pray that wherever you find yourself today, that these truths would encourage you to hold on to your identity in Christ and that it is what He says about you that matters most.