The Light Does Not Need Your Performance

The afternoon sun is bright, and it makes the mask feel heavier than it did in the dark. You are nodding along to words that no longer land in your heart, smiling at people who think they know who you are.

It is exhausting to perform a faith that has quietly left the building. But the light does not need your performance.

It never did. There was a father who watched the road every day, not waiting for a perfect speech, but running before his son could even finish his apology.

He did not care about the rehearsed lines. He cared about the return.

You do not have to pretend anymore. The light is not afraid of your doubt.

It is waiting for your honesty. Stop holding your breath.

The mask was never the point.