Love Your Identities

My identity: momma.  This word carries some weight, am I right?  Sometimes it’s the weight of the world, and sometimes it’s the weight we need to keep us moving.

When I consider loving my identity as momma, I can get overwhelmed.  It’s because there are SO MANY sub-identities mixed up in there!  I’m their alarm clock, chef, chauffeur, nurse, therapist, teacher, maid, referee, activity coordinator, event organizer, AND momma.  Plus more that I can’t remember because I’m tired.

I believe we can settle our thoughts if we focus on the ONE identity we are fulfilling at the moment.  When I’m cooking supper, I know that this is currently my main job.  I am feeding and sustaining my family.  So I’m going to do the best job I can.

When I’m driving them to school, and everyone is screaming, I focus on being the best chauffeur I can be.  I turn on some worship music (or Christmas music currently), ask everyone to quiet down and sing along, and focus on arriving safely.

Why?  Because being ALL of those identities simultaneously is too much!!

Obviously my children don’t sit quietly and wait (maybe yours do?) while I’m cooking supper, so I’m forced to do more than one thing at a time.  But I’ve found that if my mind is racing about what’s going on later tonight, what time we have to leave for school tomorrow, who has library day tomorrow?, where IS that library book?, do we have a book out from the public library too?, is there school on Friday?, wait that was last Friday… now I’m a crazy person who snaps at my children because all of those thought bubbles were popped and I’ve burnt my supper.

Or…

I can focus on the task at hand, work intentionally to keep my mind clear, and ready myself for these darlings to need me.  Because they will.  I’m their momma.

And I love my identity.