Resting When the Mask Falls

The afternoon sun is bright, and it feels good to be seen as the one who holds it together. There is a quiet relief when people assume you are strong, because it means you never have to confess how hollow you actually feel inside.

You become the pillar, the safe place, the one who does not break. But the light does not need your performance.

It knows the hollowness. It knows the weariness behind the smile.

Jesus said, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' The invitation is not for the capable. It is for the exhausted.

You do not have to carry the weight of being strong for the light to hold you. The light was there before the mask, and it will be there after you take it off.

You are not required to be the pillar. You are allowed to be the one who rests.