There is a narrative that plays in my head thats says I am only loved for what I do. You want to be close to me because of what I provide for you—but you don’t really love me for me. You just want what I can do for you.

I’ve been hurt before. I’ve felt the sting of betrayal. I’ve given my best in friendship only to be discarded as not good enough. To be known and not loved is a deep fear. My knee jerk response is to not risk vulnerability again. Put my guard up. Just keep performing. Give you what you want. And in all that, feel alone and terribly unworthy.

But that is not God’s plan for me. It’s not the story He has written for any of us.