Daily Capsule Series: You Have Nothing to Prove
“If they couldn’t stand beside you when you were low, they don’t deserve a seat beside you when you rise.”
There is a kind of pain that doesn’t shout. It doesn’t slam doors or cry out loud. It just sits quietly with you, weighing down your heart. It’s the pain of being seen struggling, and still being left. Of being noticed, but not helped. Of being surrounded, yet deeply alone.
They saw it. The way you changed. The way your laughter disappeared from your voice. The glow in your eyes that faded. They sensed your silence. They noticed your distance. They scrolled past your pain. They heard the words you didn’t say. And still, they didn’t ask. They didn’t call. They didn’t stay. Not because they didn’t see, but because they didn’t care enough to stay.
Sometimes, the world doesn’t leave loudly. It just stops showing up. People who once laughed with you become strangers. Some still watch your status, but never ask how you’re doing. Some pass by you like they don’t remember who you are. And that silence, that nothingness, hurts more than words ever could.
You didn’t need advice. You didn’t need money. You weren’t looking for someone to fix your life. You just wanted someone to sit beside you. Someone to say, “I see you. I’m here.” But when life knocked you down, many stepped aside and watched. Some walked away completely. Others stayed, but disconnected their hearts.
“Time reveals all things, but suffering reveals true hearts.”
I remember going through one of the hardest seasons of my life. I was not okay. I couldn’t talk much. I had no energy to pretend. I hoped someone would notice. That someone would ask, “Are you really okay?” But no one did. And when I became quieter, they called me cold. When I showed less, they said I had changed. But none of them asked why. None of them looked closer.
Then, as things slowly started to get better, some of them came back with laughter, with messages, acting like nothing had happened. But something had. I had seen the truth. I had seen who only loved me when I was cheerful and helpful. I had seen who couldn’t handle my brokenness. I had seen who needed me strong, but couldn’t bear me weak.
And I made a decision: I would no longer prove anything to anyone.
Bible (2 Timothy 4:16–17):
“At my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me… But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength.”
Because if someone can watch you drown and still walk away, you owe them nothing. If they could see you hurting and still keep their distance, you don’t need to make room in your healed life for them. It’s not bitterness. It’s not pride. It’s simply wisdom. It’s protection.
Qur’an (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286):
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.”
You remember. Not out of resentment, but out of clarity. You remember the days you cried yourself to sleep. The nights you sat in the dark, wondering if anyone still cared. You replayed conversations, blamed yourself, even reached out, only to be ignored or brushed off. And still, you waited, hoping someone would ask, “Are you okay?”
But they didn’t. Some said they were busy. Some said they thought you needed space. Others just disappeared. But deep down, you know, if they truly wanted to be there, they would have. People make time for who and what matters to them. Their silence said everything.
Then the strange part happened. You started healing. You began to laugh again. You posted a happy picture. You shared something hopeful. And suddenly, they remembered you. They came back with smiles, emojis, and small talk. But you had changed. You remembered. Not because you were angry, but because you had learned.
Bible (Psalm 34:18):
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Qur’an (Surah At-Tawbah 9:51):
“Say, ‘Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.’ And upon Allah let the believers rely.”
You’re not holding a grudge. You’re holding memory. You’re not bitter. You’re awake. If someone ignored your tears, they don’t get to sit at your table when the laughter returns. If they left you when you were low, they shouldn’t feel entitled to enjoy you when you rise.
Bible (Proverbs 17:17):
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
“Hard times will always reveal true friends.” — Unknown
They were not all bad people. Some just weren’t meant to stay. And pain showed you that. It showed you who only loved the convenient version of you. Who only stayed when you were giving. Who only smiled when you were useful. And that’s why you stopped chasing. That’s why you stopped explaining.
“Sometimes the person you’d take a bullet for ends up being the one behind the trigger.” — Taylor Swift
You are not cruel. You are healing. You are learning to honour your own worth. You are building boundaries, not walls. The kind you form after crying alone enough times to know what silence really means. The kind that says, “If you didn’t care then, don’t pretend to care now.”
Bible (2 Timothy 4:16–17):
“But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength.”
That strength brought you here. To this peace, this wisdom, this version of you that no longer begs to be seen. You’ve learned to stand without applause. You’ve learned to smile with scars. You’ve learned to say, “I’m enough,” even when the world goes silent.
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” — Maya Angelou
If they could ignore your struggle, they do not deserve your joy. If they turned away in your storm, they have no place in your sunshine. And if they left when you needed them the most, let them stay gone.
Qur’an (Surah Al-Asr 103:1–3):
“By time, indeed mankind is in loss, except for those who believe, do righteous deeds, and encourage each other to truth and patience.”
So today, let this truth stay with you:
They saw your struggle.
They heard the silence in your soul.
They noticed the change.
And still, they left.
Let them keep walking.
You’re not being unkind. You’re being honest. You’re choosing peace. You’re protecting the sacred space of your healing. You’re giving your love to people who see you, not just when you’re strong, but especially when you are not.
You have nothing to prove.
Not to them.
Not to anyone.
Reflection questions:
Who left when you needed them most? Have you welcomed people back without healing the hurt they caused? What new boundaries are you ready to build for your peace?
By Victor Raul Puobabangna Plance from Eggu in the Upper West Region of Ghana
#Puobabangna
