Whether it’s Mama, Mom, Mother, etc., we get so caught up in our titles that we tend to forget that we have an identity outside of that. Ma’Me (pronounced Mommy) symbolizes that we are two people in one. We were created not only to respond to ma or whatever name they call us, but to take care of and not forget about ‘Me’. ‘Me’ is who we are outside of motherhood, who God called us to be as an individual, but also as the person he entrusted to train up the children in the way that they should go. I personally got so caught up in answering to whatever version of mom that my children called me that I began neglecting ‘Me’. If we don’t take care of ‘Me’, then we won’t be the best ‘Ma’ we can be.

Motherhood was my ministry, & unbeknownst to me, I was letting it consume me. I began to feel so many emotions that prevented me from wanting to even speak. I realized the negative feelings and emotions were not what God gave me children for, or who he created me to be. The enemy had me in my burnout and exhaustion, contemplating life and what it was meant to be. I learned that I needed me, but also that I needed something stronger, more powerful & sustaining than coffee. I needed God more than ever, and he was the only place that I found relief and a peace that surpasses all understanding.

I began to grow closer to him and found salvation, but then I was met with another obstacle. I was not managing my time well enough to spend time with God outside of church, so many of the days were beginning to stress me out, overwhelm me, and consume me. I am not sure how I got into devotionals, but in theory, they were going to be my saving grace for the days church seemed way too far away. Reality has a funny way of slapping you in the face. When was I going to have time for them? I barely had time to shower and take care of myself, but I needed a devotional that fit this season of my life. Out of my collector’s shelf of the ones I acquired in hopes of finishing them, I realized that none of them fit this busy, beautiful, yet chaotic season of my life.

Talk about being positioned for purpose. This season had me questioning mine and who I was really called to be. But then, over and over, I kept hearing that I was created for such a time as this, and as I began organizing my life and schedule, this desire grew for something more. How many women felt the way I felt? How many needed God and couldn’t find a devotional that fit? How many were on edge, with thoughts of ending life as a means to an end? I couldn’t bear the thought, so I began to write. As I wrote, I fell in love with my work, and even deeper in love with God. He changed my life and gave me so many testimonies, gave me peace in my chaos, and joy in moments I didn’t think possible. He restored me, and I can only pray that through my work, He can save, heal, and restore you too.

God taught me that he created us for a purpose and to recognize that even in the everyday, we are exactly where He wants us, rising and growing into purpose. So think of Ma’Me as a safe, grace-filled space that reminds you that you are seen, valued, and intentionally made for such a time as this. We matter, and we are made purposely for this.