Spiritual Reflection: Losing Your Sense of Self

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” —Psalm 139:14

Dear soul who gives and gives,

There comes a quiet moment in caregiving—sometimes after weeks, sometimes years—when you stop and wonder: Who am I now?

You used to know. You were a person with dreams, with friendships, with laughter, music, and stillness.But lately, it may feel like you’ve become just the caregiver—a nameplate, a task list, a role.

Let me say this with tenderness: your identity is not erased by your calling.God still sees you—the whole you. Not just the nurse’s hands or the helper’s heart, but the soul behind your eyes. The person you were before caregiving and the one you are becoming in it.

You are not lost. You are becoming known again.

A Bible Story for Reflection: The Midwives Who Resisted Erasure

(Exodus 1:15–21)

Before Moses, before the plagues, before the Red Sea—there were two women: Shiphrah and Puah, Hebrew midwives living under Pharaoh’s oppression.

Pharaoh told them to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth. But they refused. Quietly, courageously, they disobeyed and let the children live.

Most wouldn’t even notice these women in the grand scheme of things.

But God does.

In a culture that rarely names women, Scripture names them—Shiphrah and Puah. God saw their identity, their integrity, and their faithfulness. And it says, “God was kind to the midwives and gave them families of their own.”

They were more than what Egypt tried to reduce them to. And so are you.

Even if no one else knows your name, God does. And God delights in who you are beyond what you do.

Journaling Reflection

Find a quiet place to reflect and write:

• Who was I before this season of caregiving? What parts of that person still live in me?

• What do I miss most about my fuller self?

• What would it look like to reclaim one piece of my identity?

• How does God see me—not as a caregiver, but as His beloved?

Practical Steps to Alleviate the Struggle

1. Create a “You” Shelf or Box

   
   

   Gather items that reflect you—a book you love, a photo, art, music, nature, or poetry. Let it be a visible reminder: “This is who I am, not just what I do.”

2. Schedule a Weekly Identity Touchpoint

   
   

   Pick one small activity that reconnects you with yourself: journaling, singing, reading, or walking alone. Even 10 minutes affirms your personhood.

3. Write a Love Letter to Your Past Self

   
   

   Reflect with kindness on who you used to be. Then write back from God’s voice: “I still see you. You are more than your labor. You are my joy.”

4. Speak Your Name Before God

   
   

   Say aloud: “I am ________, fearfully and wonderfully made.” Let that truth sink in—not as a title, but a soul.

5. Ask Someone to Reflect You Back to Yourself

   
   

   Reach out to a trusted friend or mentor. Ask: “What do you see in me beyond my caregiving role?” Let their words reawaken your wholeness.

Closing Prayer

Creator of my soul,

You formed me in the secret place.

Before I cared for anyone,You cared for me.

Before I took on this role,You named me Beloved.

When I forget who I am,

Remind me.

When I feel erased,

Re-inscribe my name on Your heart.

Restore the beauty within me that still shines,

Even if hidden behind weariness.

Help me reclaim the sacred truth:I am still me.

And I am Yours.

Amen.