It used to ache in places I couldn’t name when friends or family didn’t offer their support. I would pour my heart and soul into something, quietly hoping for a kind word, a spark of encouragement, or even just a hint that they saw my effort. Too often, what I received instead was silence… or worse, subtle discouragement that dimmed the joy of what I was building.

Then I came across these words:

"You know why strangers support you more than people you know? 🤔 Because people you know have a hard time accepting that you guys came from the same place, yet they're in the same place."

It was as if the Holy Spirit flicked on a light in my understanding. Their silence wasn’t proof that my work lacked value. It was proof that my growth had quietly unsettled them. We came from the same starting point, yet I’d chosen to step into unfamiliar waters — waters they were not ready, or willing, to enter.

They remember the “old me”— the unsure girl, the one who made mistakes, who didn’t yet walk with the confidence God has since built in me. To embrace the “new me” would mean they’d have to shift their perspective… and maybe face why they’ve chosen to stay the same. That is not an easy mirror to look into.

Strangers, however, meet me here, in the now. They see the fruit of my labour without comparing it to my past. They celebrate my courage without measuring it against their own journey. Their encouragement is free of competition or history — it’s simply joy in seeing another rise.

So I no longer carry the weight of expecting applause from the familiar. I’ve learnt that my journey doesn’t need permission to be valid. If the people closest to me aren’t ready to clap, I will keep clapping for myself… and listen for the applause of Heaven.

💡Reflection:

• How do I usually respond when someone I love doesn’t support my dreams? 🤔

• In what ways might their silence have more to do with them than with me? 🤔

• Where have I seen God bring unexpected encouragement from strangers? 🤔

🙌Prayer:

Lord, thank You for reminding me that my worth and calling are not dependent on the applause of others. Teach me to release the need for validation from those who cannot yet see what You are doing in me. Help me walk with confidence, knowing that Heaven celebrates every step I take in obedience to You. May my journey be a testimony that inspires, whether in silence or in song. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.