See Myself

Learning to See Myself: I see you, but I don’t see you.

For years, I made it my mission to see others to notice what others missed, to love what others overlooked, and to stand in the gaps where others walked away. But somewhere in all that seeing, I forgot to look inward. I forgot to see me.

I had become so used to being the strong one that I didn’t realize how invisible I had become to myself. I silenced my own pain with busyness, replaced rest with responsibility, and confused purpose with performance. I told others to take care of themselves while convincing myself that I didn’t have time to do the same.

It wasn’t until God slowed me down and really slowed me down that I began to see myself again.

Not the teacher, not the leader, not the fixer. Just the woman. The daughter. The one He created before the world told her who she needed to be.

I saw the parts of me that were tired but still trying.

The parts that were broken but still believing.

The parts that were healing but still hiding.

And in that moment, I realized that the same grace I offer to others, I needed to extend to myself. I could not keep pouring from a place of emptiness and call it service. God reminded me that rest isn’t weakness  it’s worship.

Healing isn’t selfish  it’s sacred.

So I started to see myself the way He sees me: chosen, capable, loved, and still becoming. I’m still learning  that being seen by God is enough even when the world overlooks, even when people misunderstand, even when I’m still learning how to love the woman in the mirror.

Now, when I say “I see you,” it carries a different meaning. It’s not just about empathy; it’s about reflection. Because when I truly see you, I’m reminded of the journey I took to finally see myself  through the tears, the triumphs, the lessons, and the grace that never let go.

I see you.

And for the first time in a long time I’m starting to see me too!

Author Kaneshia Williams