The Person You Needed Never Came

There's a specific kind of ache reserved for the people who were supposed to be there and weren't. The parent who should have protected you. The friend who should have stayed. The person who should have believed you. Their absence shaped you — but it doesn't get to define you.

Nicole Washington writes to the child inside every adult who is still waiting for someone to show up. With tenderness and spiritual depth, she points toward a profound truth: God doesn't just send you the person you need. Sometimes He grows that person inside you — and in the process, you become the gift you were always waiting for.

You can't change who didn't show up. But you can decide who shows up now — and that starts with you.