There are times in life when the need for approval becomes a high-security prison. We live seeking the applause of the group, Instagram success, the perfect image of the empowered woman who can do it all. We cover ourselves in tattoos, indulge in wild nights, or pursue empty goals simply to be loved. We drink from tainted sources and then are surprised to find ourselves deeply ill.

Majo Gimeno, founder of the NGO  Mamás en Acción (Mothers in Action ), knows that void well. In the latest episode of the  Rebeldes Podcast , alongside Don Pablo and Don Ignacio, she opened her heart to recount a journey that ranges from the overprotection of her childhood in convent schools to utter collapse in the midst of a pandemic, including an impending marital separation. A story of vulnerability, but above all, of an unexpected rescue.

The approval trap and the sources of dirty water

Majo grew up sheltered, under the wing of her grandparents and the unforgettable guidance of Sister Vicenta, the nun who would drag her out of the arcade if she was wearing her uniform. However, upon venturing out into the world—first to England and then to the United States—her roots began to waver.

“In the United States, living with your parents at my age was seen as a failure. You confront them, you mingle with them, and you want to do what they do: partying, having wild sex, living up to what the world demands… You get involved in everything without being aware that you’re doing it in search of love.”

That desperate search for affection mutated over the years into the demand for success and the masks of social posturing. “It’s exhausting,” Majo confesses. “Society has constructed a model of womanhood that forces you to renounce what comes naturally to you as a woman and a mother. They sell us the idea of ​​the perfect entrepreneur on Instagram, but what does your heart truly yearn for?”

Marriage on the rock and a psychologist’s diagnosis

The return to faith was not an idyllic bed of roses. Majo married Borja after a whirlwind romance of barely nine months. Soon came serious crises, a lack of transparency, and a stark diagnosis from a couples therapist:  “You have to separate, it’s urgent. You’re suffering terribly.”

With everything seemingly lost, one of Borja’s brothers suggested one last option: to talk to the parish priest.

“We sat down with Ramón, an older priest. He listened to our complaints, and the first thing he asked my husband was, ‘Borja, who do you think is the head of the family?’ My husband said, ‘Me.’ And the priest replied, ‘Well, no. It’s her. Because if she’s okay, your children are okay, and you’re okay.’ Something pierced our hearts. When we finished, Borja asked for confession. We understood that a marriage that isn’t built on a rock will be swept away by the waves.”

Hitting rock bottom during lockdown: “If you exist, take me today”

The real desert, however, arrived with the pandemic lockdown. A situation of personal crisis and injustice that Majo couldn’t process in a human way. Panic gripped the house. The daily vomiting, lack of sleep, and constant crying began to take their toll on her children. One night, her eldest daughter asked her,  “Mom, why are you crying all the time?” That was the breaking point.

“That day I knelt at the foot of my bed. I waited until everyone was asleep and I said to God,  ‘If you really exist, take me today. Don’t let me wake up tomorrow, please, because I can’t cope with my life .’ I didn’t have the courage to be Judas and take my own life, but I was devastated.”

Majo fell into a deep sleep after weeks of insomnia. When she woke up the next day, the suffering hadn’t magically disappeared, but something had changed forever inside her: she had experienced the rest of surrender.

Absolute freedom: knowing oneself to be loved in weakness

What frees a person from the need to please everyone and the terror of failure? For Majo, the answer is a paradox that can only be understood from a faith perspective: suffering as a gift of freedom.

“The greatest rest I’ve ever experienced was feeling loved for who I truly am, with my weakness, my falseness, and my mask. Discovering that I don’t have to be perfect or do everything right for Him to love me. If I do my worst tonight, He’s waiting to carry me on His shoulders and rescue me. When you experience that, what can the world give you that will take away your peace?”

A life lesson that shows that, sometimes, it is necessary for the wave to forcefully break our glass structure to force us to build again, this time on the rock.

If you enjoyed this article, remember that sharing it is also a way to get this message to those who need it most.