the hollow ache of rehearsing a smile before opening the door to pretend you are fine

The Silence Is For Him

The mirror shows you the smile before you even open the door. You rehearse the curve of your lips, the crinkle of your eyes, the exact pitch of 'I'm fine' that lets you walk into the room without anyone asking further.

It is exhausting to wear a face that does not match the ache in your chest. But notice this — the light sees behind the mask.

It saw you practicing in the glass. It knows the weight of the performance you are about to carry.

There is a part of you that has not smiled yet, and that part is not hidden from God. In fact, that quiet, unmasked part is where the light is waiting.

You do not have to take the mask off all at once. Just know that the One you are walking toward already loves the face beneath it.

The smile is for them. The silence is for Him.

Drawing from

Matthew, Gospel of Thomas

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