When Being Misunderstood Makes You Hide Your Gift

There’s something I want to share honestly—because I know I’m not the only one who has walked through this.

For most of my life, I’ve struggled with letting people close to me read what I write.

Strangers? That’s always been easy.But people who know me? That’s where the hesitation shows up.

And for a long time, I couldn’t fully explain why.

Where It Started

As a kid, I loved to write.

Stories, poems, song lyrics—it was how I processed what was in my mind and heart. Writing wasn’t just something I did… it was something that felt natural, freeing, even necessary.

But when I would turn in writing assignments at school, something unexpected happened.

I was accused—more than once—of not actually writing them.

Teachers assumed someone else must have done it. Maybe my parents. Maybe an older sibling.

My parents always stood up for me. They knew it was mine.

But even with their support, something stuck.

Because what I heard wasn’t just:

“Did you write this?”

What I heard was:

“There’s no way you’re capable of this.”

And whether anyone intended that or not… it left a mark.

How It Followed Me Into Adulthood

That same feeling didn’t stay in the past.

It showed up again in different ways as I got older.

Even now, there are times when I write something—whether it’s a post, a message, or something from one of my books—and someone assumes I didn’t write it. That I must have had help, or used AI, or had someone else put it together for me.

And to be clear—I do use tools to help with grammar, spelling, and structure.

But the heart?The thoughts?The process of getting it out?

That’s me. It always has been.

Still… those moments bring up something familiar.

Not fear of rejection—but something deeper.

The Real Struggle

I’ve realized something important through all of this:

I’m not afraid of people not liking what I write.

I’m afraid of being misunderstood by people who already think they know me.

Because here’s the reality—

I don’t always communicate clearly when I speak.

• I process slower in conversation

• I tend to be quiet in groups

• I ask more questions than I give answers

• And when I do speak, it doesn’t always come out the way it feels in my mind

But when I write… everything lines up.

There’s clarity. There’s flow. There’s depth that’s hard to express out loud.

And for a long time, I think I hid that part of myself… because it didn’t match the version of me people were used to.

The Truth I’m Learning

I’m stepping into something now that’s changing how I see all of this:

Just because someone doesn’t understand how your gift works…doesn’t mean it isn’t yours.

Not every gift shows up the same way.

Some people think out loud. Others think deeply—and then express it with intention.

That doesn’t make one better than the other. It just means they’re different.

And sometimes, the difference is exactly where the calling is.

When Misunderstanding Becomes a Limitation

Here’s where I think this connects with more people than we realize:

A lot of us were misunderstood early in life.

Maybe you were:

• Labeled too quickly

• Judged based on one area of weakness

• Put into a box that never really fit who you were

And over time, without even realizing it, you started to hide the very thing you were created to carry.

Not because it wasn’t real…but because it didn’t match what others expected from you.

A Biblical Perspective

There’s a passage that has taken on new meaning for me through this process:

“bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” — 2 Corinthians 10:5

For me, writing has become a way of doing exactly that.

Taking what’s in my mind—every thought, every wrestle, every revelation—and slowing it down enough to process it, align it, and express it with clarity.

What once felt like a limitation… is actually shaping how I walk this out.

Moving Forward

I’m still walking this out.

But I know this much now:

I don’t want to hide what God has placed in me just because it challenges how others see me.

And if you’re reading this and something resonates with you, I want to encourage you with this:

Don’t let an old misunderstanding silence a real gift.

You don’t have to prove it to everyone. You don’t have to make everyone understand it.

But you do have to be faithful with it.

Because the people who are meant to receive from it… will.

Final Thought

If you’ve ever felt like you had to shrink a part of yourself because people didn’t understand it…

Maybe it’s time to stop hiding.

Not loudly.Not forcefully.

Just faithfully.

Keep showing up.Keep creating.Keep walking in what’s been placed inside of you.

Even if not everyone understands it.

Because being misunderstood doesn’t disqualify your calling.

Sometimes… it’s part of how it’s formed.

Pastor Scott