When Being Misunderstood Hurts

Being misunderstood hurts.

I wish it didn’t. But even when I understand the situation or know what’s true, I cannot escape how it buckles my knees and takes me by surprise. Or how it hits deep and presses against the ache inside—the longing to be known and seen.

Longing is woven into the very fabric of our humanity, whether we want to admit it or not. Even when we try to deny it, avoid it, or silence it, the ache hammers our hearts with a constant rhythm of need, pumping blood and oxygen like an essential organ that keeps us alive and fully human.

To feel it makes us uncomfortable and causes us to squirm as it reveals that we are not enough on our own, and what we are hoping for won’t satisfy our souls. The problem is, as soon as we feel it pulsing, we reach for things like knowledge, connection, status, entertainment, success, or pleasure to distract ourselves from the pain. But what we need is to let that ache have its full effect.

We need to feel how it beats and throbs and let it reveal our hurts and our fears. We need to allow it to surface the layers of expectations and pride in our hearts and expose that we cannot remedy the pain in our own strength. We are not enough. Only Christ is, and we need to face the depth of our need so we can see just how sufficient he truly is.

We are created to dwell with God, and longing invites us to do just that. It invites us to fall in need at the foot of God’s throne so we can know his presence and recognize how he satisfies the beat of our hearts. Only he can truly save us from our places of pain and overwhelm them with the love that is better than life.

If you’re feeling the ache of longing today, let the discomfort remind you that God sees you and knows you. He understands the depth of your hurt and feels your pain like it’s his own. Don’t be afraid to let your knees buckle before God’s throne because he wants to reveal to you, in a unique and personal way, how he is everything you need and all that you want.

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” -Psalm 107:9

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Kristina Ward

Featured Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

About the Author

Kristina M. Ward is a servant of Jesus, a pastor’s wife, and a mother of six (three through adoption). As a Ministry Leader at Arise Church, she helps equip saints for the work of the ministry through discipleship and soul care. As a writer of stories, songs, and poetry, she hopes to nurture as many hearts as possible in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Kristina’s writing has been featured in Fathom Mag, Love What Matters, and other publications. Her leadership in the local church includes women’s, worship, and counseling ministry, and she is in the process of becoming ACBC certified. Kristina loves deep conversation, making her husband laugh, and lingering on the shores of Lake Superior, where she calls Northern Minnesota home.

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