The Girl in the Dressing Room

Story Time.

I was recently in a store and there was a group of young girls. Teenagers. All dressed cute, very polished, very bougie. Hair perfect, outfits on point, laughing, whispering, just having a great time. Normal teenage energy. But one of them stood out immediately. You could tell she was the creative one. Still girly, still cute as she could be, but she had that artist vibe. The others had more of that cheerleader type look.

Watching them took me straight back to my own teenage years. That familiar feeling you recognize without even trying. They encouraged the creative girl to try on a dress. It was a really nice dress. Not a prom dress, just something clearly special. Something formal. She came out wearing it and the other girls were building her up. Oh that looks so cute. Oh yes, you absolutely should wear this. And while she did look adorable, my gut was already uneasy. You know when your knower goes off.

The girl went back into the dressing room to take the dress off, and everything changed. The smiles dropped. The tone shifted. They started mocking her, laughing at her, being mean and cruel while she stood right there with absolutely no idea. It was painful to hear because it was so familiar. Sweet to your face, cruel the second you walk away.

Later, I went to have lunch, and there they were again. Same girls. Same energy. Giggling, whispering, cutting up. The creative girl was truly enjoying herself. Then the waitress asked if it would all be on one check. The others went silent. Awkward glances. No one said a word. The creative girl quietly said, I’ll get it. You could feel the discomfort. That subtle pressure.

When she walked away to pay, I heard it happen again. The laughter. The mocking. Talking about how she thinks she’s included, but she’s not. How she’s just buying their lunch. It was deliberate. It was obvious. And it made me angry because I’ve experienced that kind of thing before.

I almost said something. Then I caught myself thinking, God, this is horrible. And in that exact moment, something clicked. I realized I was sitting there seeing everything unfold while they had no idea. I had watched them at the store. I was hearing them now. They were completely unaware they were being observed.

God sees everything the same way.

He saw that girl step out in that dress feeling beautiful. He saw the fake compliments. He saw the cruelty behind the dressing room door. He saw the awkward silence at the restaurant table. He saw the quiet pressure that made her feel like she had no choice but to pay.

Nothing goes unnoticed.

So if you’ve ever been that girl, the one trying on the dress, the one picking up the check, the one sensing the whispers behind your back, hear this clearly. God sees it all. People can be mean. People can be cruel. But God does not miss a thing, and He rewards us accordingly. I know people can be mean and cruel. But I also know God don’t play.