You’re Allowed to Be Here

She was always the strong one.
The one who could handle it.
The one people leaned on.

She didn’t break. She just bent… quietly.
Tucked the overwhelm behind a smile.
Said “I’m fine” while running on fumes.

And honestly? She got so good at holding it all together that nobody noticed she was tired of holding it at all.

Let’s Talk About the Unspoken Pressure

Somewhere along the way, being strong turned into being silent.

Strong became:

• Do everything.

• Be everything.

• Don’t need anything.

• And definitely don’t fall apart in public.

Especially if you’re a woman of faith, right?

You learned to carry things with grace.
To serve.
To show up.
To be “grateful.”
To keep it moving… even when something inside you was screaming: This is too much.

And you told yourself it’s just a season.
That if you push a little harder, pray a little longer, hold it together just a little better…
Then maybe you’ll feel okay again.

But what if I told you… this isn’t about being okay?
What if this isn’t about “fixing” anything?

What if the real thing you’re craving isn’t a solution… it’s permission?

Because Here’s the Truth: Holding It All Isn’t Holy

No one clapped when you rested.
No one noticed when you cracked.
They just kept calling you “amazing” for doing what almost took you out.

They didn’t see the cost.
But you felt it.

The constant overthinking.
The low-grade exhaustion you called “just being busy.”
The tears that came out of nowhere on the kitchen floor.

You’ve spent so long being the strong one, the capable one, the dependable one…
You forgot you’re also a human one.

And now?
Now you’re wondering if it’s even okay to need what you’ve told everyone else they were worthy of.

You cheer for your friends when they slow down, set boundaries, find rest.
But when it’s your turn?

Guilt.
Shame.
Second-guessing.

You wonder if God’s disappointed.
If you’re just being dramatic.
If you’re missing something everyone else already figured out.

Let me be the one to say it clearly:
You don’t need to be fixed.
You need to breathe.

God’s Not Waiting for the Polished Version of You

We’ve gotten this weird idea that we have to “get ourselves together” before God wants to meet with us.
But that’s not who He is.

Jesus didn’t hand out gold stars to the people who had it all figured out.
He sat with the ones who were falling apart.

He saw the chaos.
He stepped into the middle of it.
And He didn’t flinch.

You’re not too much.
You’re not behind.
And you’re not disqualified just because you’re exhausted.

God’s not impressed by your performance.
He’s moved by your honesty.

You’re Allowed to Be Here… Exactly As You Are

This middle place?
This messy, not-sure-what’s-next, can’t-wrap-it-in-a-bow kind of space?
It’s not the in-between nobody wants to talk about.

It’s holy.

It’s the exact space where God meets us.
Not because we earned it.
Not because we faked it well enough.
But because we need Him.

That’s not weakness.
That’s the realest kind of strength there is.

So if you’ve been waiting to “feel better” before you give yourself permission to rest, stop waiting.
You already belong.
Right now.
In this middle.

What If You Didn’t Have to Hustle for Peace?

Take a second and really let this land:

You don’t have to earn rest.
You don’t have to pretend to be okay.
You don’t have to keep holding the weight of everyone else’s expectations.

You’re allowed to show up messy.
You’re allowed to have questions.
You’re allowed to not have a five-year plan for your healing.

You’re allowed to be loved here.

Not the “you” who’s totally healed.
Not the “you” who’s figured it out.

This you.
The tired, tender, still-trusting, still-trying you.

You belong here.

So… What Now?

Honestly? I just want you to exhale.

If something in you whispered “me” while reading this… then girl, Meet Me in the Middle was made with you in mind.

No pressure. No pretending.
Just a space where you can finally lay some of the weight down… and let God carry what you’ve been trying to control.

We’re not fixing you.
We’re finding you again.

🌀 Grab Meet Me in the Middle
Let’s walk this part out together… no masks, no hustle, no guilt.

Just honesty.
Just grace.
Just Jesus.

Right in the middle of it all.

~Deanna