On Losing Yourself in Motherhood

 "The Cult of Self-Affirmation encourages us to grab hold of our lives so we don't "lose ourselves" to motherhood. But when we follow Christ, we are never at risk of "losing ourselves," because our identity is eternally found in him. Who we "really are" isn't some mystery we need to solve or path we need to follow. Our sole aim is to honor God by gratefully executing the tasks he' put before us with his help." -Allie Beth Stuckey in You're Not Enough (and that's oka

The world tells us that one of the worst things that can happen to a person is to "lose" themselves. Marriage and child-rearing, especially, must be held at arm's length to make sure those things don't take over. But the Word tells us that we need to be sanctified and the process of sanctification is often carried out in these deep, committed relationships. We live in a time when dying for someone is noble, but living for them while we die to self is pathetic or dangerous.