To the Girl Who Just Wanted to Be Loved
We’ve just wrapped up four chapters of Gracie Rae’s story so far—and while it’s been an absolute blast pulling from parts of my own life into hers, it’s also taken me somewhere I didn’t quite expect:
Back.
Back to the younger me.
Back to the girl who was just trying to find her place, her people, and the kind of love that felt like safety.
And like most of us probably have at one time or another, I’ve found myself wishing I could go back and sit beside her—to tell her a few things I know now.
Things like:
“Oh, Gracie Rae… if only you knew how deeply Jesus loved you.”
If I could’ve whispered anything into her heart, it would’ve been this:
Don’t chase being chosen by someone else.
Chase Jesus.
Run hard after Him.
Because if He’s at the center,
the right one will come—
in the right season,
in the right way,
at the right time.
But that ache for love? It was real.
And it came from somewhere deeper.
Growing up as an MK (missionary kid), you don’t always realize the quiet gaps forming under the surface. Spain was home… but it wasn’t really. Because once you graduate, you’re headed “home” to the States—which also doesn’t feel like home. And in between all that, you’re just trying to belong.
You’re trying to explain parts of your story to people who haven’t lived that kind of life.
And more often than not—you stop explaining.
You just smile. Laugh. Be the goofy one.
And hope someone sees you anyway.
Gracie Rae carries that.
She hides some of her insecurity behind humor, behind song lyrics and witty one-liners…But underneath it?
She’s just a girl who wants to be loved. For real. For keeps.
And the chapters ahead?
They’ll peel back some of those layers.
So thank you for reading.
For walking with her—and with me.
This Saturday, instead of rushing into Chapter 5, I just wanted to pause and say—
There’s more to the story.
There always is.
And sometimes, the parts we tuck away the deepest… are the parts God’s love is most eager to reach.
See you next Saturday for Chapter 5.
If you’re new to my Saturday Stories (fiction): Tangled Roots & Barefoot Faith - here are the chapter links so you can catch up.
Love it!