"Real intimacy isn't safe—people always leave when they see the real me."
How it sounds in your head: You've learned to curate what you share because the times you've been real, vulnerable, messy—people got uncomfortable and distanced. There's a version of you that's acceptable, and then there's the real you, who's too much, too broken, too complicated.
"The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
-- Zephaniah 3:17Trauma from past rejection has partnered with enemy accusation to build walls and call them wisdom.
You opened up about your depression once and that friend never texted the same way again. Your family changes the subject when you talk about real struggles. You've been ghosted after being vulnerable, so now you keep it surface-level and call it self-protection.
Woman with five failed marriages and currently living with a man—complete relational disaster, avoided drawing water when others were there out of shame. Jesus sought HER out, knew EVERYTHING about her past, and instead of rejecting her, offered living water and made her the first evangelist to an entire city.
I REFUSE the lie that real intimacy means inevitable abandonment. IT IS WRITTEN that God REJOICES OVER ME WITH SINGING—the real me, not a curated version. Jesus knew everything about the woman at the well and pursued HER specifically, making her the first evangelist. The BARAK blessing means I am pursued, celebrated, delighted in—my mess doesn't disqualify me from connection. IT IS WRITTEN that He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me—no fine print, no conditions, no 'unless you're too broken.' The Father is running toward me with full knowledge of every wound, every wall, every broken place, and He's throwing a PARTY, not a probation meeting. I am safe to be known because I am fully loved.
The Father saw you at your absolute worst—prodigal-level mess—and started RUNNING while you still smelled like pig pens and bad decisions. He's not waiting for you to clean up to embrace you; He's embracing you SO THAT you can experience wholeness from a place of being fully known and fully loved.