When the Words Fall to the Ground
I recently found myself in a meeting where I shared from a deep, vulnerable place — and yet, I was misunderstood. Not only misunderstood, but unheard. My words seemed to fall flat to the ground, completely missing the heart space I was trying to reach.
For a few days, I felt off-balance. Disoriented. But in that ache, I found myself drawn inward again — into the quiet, sacred place where healing happens, where truth is reaffirmed, and where grace speaks louder than pain.
And from that space, I offer this piece to you.
I originally wrote it for my own understanding — a way to name what I was sensing, to let the ache become articulate. Later, I felt to share it with a small prayer group I belong to — a group of Christian mystics.
A Christian mystic is someone who seeks to encounter and know God deeply and directly, not only through doctrine or outward form, but through intimate communion and inner transformation. It’s a path of love and mystery, where silence often speaks louder than speech, and where the unseen becomes more real than the visible.
I call it --
The Sacred Grace of Being Misunderstood
1. Opening: Settling into Stillness
Before we begin, let us find a place of quiet within ourselves.
Close your eyes if you wish.
Take a deep breath in through your nose… and exhale gently.
Allow your body to soften.
Let your shoulders release their weight.
Draw your awareness inward, beyond the chatter of your mind and the noise of the day.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
As mystics, we walk a path that is often unseen and unheard. Our faith calls us to trust what is not yet visible.
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 11:3)
Our hearts carry truths and revelations that may feel strange or foreign to the world around us, and sometimes even to our peers and closest family.
Today, I invite you to explore the deep spiritual journey of being misunderstood — of carrying light that others cannot yet perceive, of offering truth that is often met with silence, rejection, or hiddenness.
Let us open ourselves to the grace and patience this journey requires.
2. What Does It Mean To Be Misunderstood?
To be misunderstood is one of the most profoundly isolating experiences on the spiritual path.
It means that when you speak your truth, it is often heard through a lens that distorts or diminishes your meaning.
Being misunderstood can take many forms:
- Your words might be twisted or taken out of context.
- Your intentions might be questioned or doubted.
- Your actions might be misinterpreted or judged unfairly.
- Your silence might be seen as coldness or rejection instead of wisdom or prayerful restraint —
- Or your ideas might simply be heard through a completely different paradigm.
This is part of why being misunderstood hurts so deeply —you’re not just misheard, you’re often not heard at all.
Sometimes, people respond not to who you are or what you say, but to their own fears, biases, or experiences. They listen from their own paradigm — their own spiritual, emotional, or intellectual place — and that changes what they hear.
This is not a failure on your part.
It is a natural part of the human condition — the collision between the eternal truth you carry and the limited understanding of those around you, or their inability to hear you.
The most painful part is often the feeling of invisibility — when no one truly listens,
when your heart seems to echo unanswered,
when your deepest truths fall like seeds on hard, unyielding ground.
But being misunderstood is also a spiritual invitation.
It calls us to deeper patience, humility, and inner strength.
It invites us to live by faith, not by the fleeting approval of the world.
To be misunderstood is, in a way, a mark of spiritual maturity —
a sign that you are holding a truth that has not yet been fully received,
a flame that burns quietly but powerfully in the darkness.
3. The Mystery of Hiddenness
Hiddenness can feel lonely and discouraging.
It is the silent space where no one sees your daily prayers, your struggles, or your acts of kindness.
It’s the desert where your faith is tested in the absence of applause or recognition.
But hiddenness is also sacred.
It is the fertile soil where roots grow deep and strong.
It is where intimacy with God flourishes, away from the noise and judgment of the world.
How do we deal with this hiddenness?
- Embrace it as a season, not a sentence.
- Trust that God is present in the silence.
- Offer your hidden acts as worship, knowing they matter deeply in the unseen realms.
- Guard your heart from bitterness by focusing on God’s love rather than human approval.
- Practice spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, and journaling to sustain your soul.
Remember: Jesus Himself spent long seasons in hiddenness and solitude before His public ministry.
He knows the heart of hiddenness intimately.
4. A Lineage of the Unseen - Hebrews 11
— Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the foundation of the mystic’s journey.
It is the substance and certainty of the invisible.
The heroes of Hebrews 11 are not those who had everything easy or clear.
They are those who trusted in promises they could not yet touch, see, or fully understand.
Consider them:
- Noah, who built an ark while the world mocked his warning of a flood no one else could see coming.
- Abraham, who left his home and family to journey toward a land he had never visited.
- Sarah, who laughed with disbelief at the promise of a child in her old age, yet believed anyway.
- Moses, who turned away from the wealth of Egypt to follow a calling no one else understood.
- The prophets who spoke messages that angered kings and priests often paid with their freedom or lives.
- Rahab, the outsider, who trusted a hope bigger than her circumstances.
These faithful ones lived in tension between what was seen and unseen, between rejection and hope, between misunderstanding and eternal witness.
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
37 They were put to death by stoning;[a] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—
38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,
40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Let’s tie this into Melchizedek ---
5. Melchizedek: The Mystery of the Eternal Priesthood and King of Peace.
He is a mysterious figure who appears briefly in Scripture but carries profound spiritual significance. He was the King of Salem — meaning "King of Peace" — and Priest of the Most High God — a priesthood unlike any earthly order.
“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.”
— Hebrews 7:3
Melchizedek represents the eternal, hidden priesthood — a spiritual authority that transcends human lineage and earthly recognition.
Temple walls or ancestral titles do not mark his presence, but by the weight of divine ordination. He embodies the mystery of those called not by man, but by God Himself.
He is also a king — one who rules quietly yet sovereignly, embodying divine royal authority and peace.
His reign is not enforced by armies, but by the stillness of heaven’s order. His crown is not visible, yet it governs with an unshakable peace that disarms chaos.
Like Melchizedek, the mystic often walks a path that is not understood by the world.
You may carry a divine calling that doesn’t fit into the usual patterns or expectations of society or even your faith community.
You operate in a “priesthood of the heart” and a "kingship of peace", serving God in secret places with a calm authority.
Your ministry may not be celebrated or widely known, but it is eternal and powerful.
Melchizedek teaches us:
- To hold sacred authority quietly, without needing public validation.
- To be a mediator of peace and blessing even when misunderstood or overlooked.
- To remain steadfast in mystery, trusting God’s perfect timing and knowing that the fruits of your labour may only be revealed in eternity.
- To embody the priestly role of intercession — lifting others up in prayer and holding space for transformation beyond what human eyes can see.
To reign as a King of Peace, ruling your inner kingdom with calm dignity and extending peace into all situations, especially amid misunderstanding and rejection.
Your faithfulness in the quiet places is part of a holy legacy, connecting you with the eternal.
6. The Pain of Not Being Heard
But being unheard can feel like a deeper loneliness.
To bring your whole self to a conversation or a space — and to feel invisible, dismissed, or ignored — this wounds the soul.
You may find yourself asking:
- “Does what I say even matter?”
- “Am I just speaking into the wind?”
- “Will I always carry this silence?”
This pain is sacred.
It humbles the spirit and strips away the need for worldly validation.
It teaches us to turn our ears to the One who always listens:
“Before a word is on my tongue, You, Lord, know it completely.” (Psalm 139:4)
You are deeply known — even when you feel unseen.
Your silence is heard in the chambers of God’s heart.
Your obedience echoes through eternity.
And even in this pain, you carry the heart of a King — a King of Peace — who reigns with calm authority in hidden places, holding peace when the world is silent.
7. People Hear From Their Own Paradigm
One of the greatest gifts we can receive in this journey is compassion for others’ limitations.
“People hear not from where you speak — but from where they stand.”
Every person has their own spiritual and emotional lens through which they perceive the world.
This affects how they hear your words, how they interpret your actions, how they respond to your truth.
People often listen to respond, not to hear.
You are now reading and filtering through your own expectations, fears, or assumptions. You might be forming a reply before you're even done reading — not out of malice, but because true, attentive listening is rare and deeply spiritual.
To truly hear someone is to pause your own inner dialogue and become present — to receive without needing to fix, defend, or argue.
Recognising this is liberating.
It reminds us that misunderstanding is rarely about you personally.
It is about their own internal filters and fears.
Like Melchizedek, whose kingship transcended earthly judgment, remember:
Your royal identity is not determined by human understanding but by divine decree.
This awareness calls us to patience, gentleness, and above all, self-compassion.
8. The Practice of Patience
Patience is more than waiting.
It is an active spiritual discipline — a posture of the heart.
Patience is the royal virtue of the Melchizedek order — the calm endurance of a King who knows his reign is eternal and whose peace surpasses all turmoil.
This is that place where we rule and rest from … seated with Christ.
It is choosing to remain faithful in small, unseen acts —
to keep speaking truth softly, to keep loving without condition,
to keep praying when there seems to be no answer.
How can you cultivate patience?
- Return to breath and prayer whenever frustration rises.
- Remember the eternal promises that faith holds beyond time.
- Surround yourself with spiritual companions who remind you of your worth.
- Reaffirm your identity as a beloved child of God — a priest and king in God’s eternal kingdom.
9. Continue to Love
Even when misunderstood, continue to love.
- Love your own soul.
- Love the people who cannot yet see you clearly.
- Love God’s unfolding plan in the midst of mystery.
Your love is a quiet decree of the heart — a royal proclamation that peace and compassion will reign despite conflict.
Remember, Jesus loved those who rejected Him.
Your love, too, is a powerful light that transforms, heals, and blesses beyond what words can express.
10. Decree Peace
This is not naive optimism.
It is the authority of the King of Salem — Melchizedek — speaking through you.
Say to yourself and your circumstances:
“I am a child of the Most High,
A priest and king of eternal peace.
I release all bitterness and fear.
I choose patience and love.
Peace reigns in my heart,
And flows from me to the world around me.”
Make this your daily decree.
Anchor yourself in the royal peace that surpasses all understanding.
11. The Bigger Cosmic Picture
You are part of a cosmic spiritual lineage — a sacred order of priest and kings who steward the eternal kingdom of God on earth.
The hidden faith you carry, the silence you endure, the patience you cultivate — all these are threads woven into the great tapestry of divine history.
You are heir to Melchizedek’s eternal priesthood and kingship — called to mediate God’s blessing, to reign in peace, and to love unconditionally, no matter what the world says.
Your unseen faithfulness has a cosmic impact.
You are shaping reality in the spiritual realms.
You are part of God’s great plan of restoration and peace.
Hold this truth close.
It is your anchor when storms come, when silence deepens, when the night feels long.
“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4 / Hebrews 7)
You are royalty in God’s eternal kingdom — hidden, misunderstood, yet powerful beyond measure.
Closing Meditation
Let us close this time by resting once more in God’s presence.
Breathe deeply.
Feel the royal peace of Melchizedek resting on your heart.
Guided Meditation: Resting in the Grace of Being Misunderstood
- Find a comfortable seated position.
- Close your eyes gently.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose… and slowly exhale through your mouth.
- Allow your body to soften and your mind to quiet.
- Feel the weight of your body grounding you to the earth.
- Bring your awareness to your heart centre — the quiet place within where truth and peace reside.
- Bring to mind that one time when you felt misunderstood or unheard.
Repeat silently or softly to yourself:
“I am known. I am seen by the Divine. I'm heard by God"
Say this over and over until you can feel the sting of the pain bow the knee to the Truth of God's love!.
Imagine a gentle light surrounding your heart — warm, calm, and steady.
This light is the peace of Melchizedek, the eternal priest and King of Peace.
Feel this peace filling you, flowing from your heart out into your whole body.
As you breathe in, draw in patience and grace.
As you breathe out, release any frustration or loneliness.
Know that even in silence and misunderstanding, you are deeply loved and held.
Visualise yourself resting quietly in this light — safe, dignified, and serene.
Allow yourself to surrender the need for approval or understanding from others.
Anchor yourself instead in the eternal truth of who you are — a beloved child of God, a priest and king of peace.
Stay here for a few breaths, simply resting in this presence.
When you are ready, gently bring your awareness back to the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Open your eyes softly.
Carry this peace with you as you move through your day.
Yours in Love,
Mart-Marie