A Prayer for Those Who Hide

 

Artist’s Note

This sketch reflects the weight of living behind a mask, and the quiet freedom of choosing truth. The oversized mask represents the exhausting burden of a false identity, while the unmasked figure walks freely, not in defiance, but in honesty.

Sometimes anger isn’t about being confronted at all - it’s about the weight of pretending becoming too heavy to carry. And when we walk unmasked before God, the burden falls away… even if that freedom unsettles those still holding on.

A Prayer for Those Who Hide

They wear a face
they call survival
and expect me to match it.

When I don’t,
their anger speaks louder
than their honesty ever could.

I stand without armor.
They call it defiance.
I call it truth.

Every day the world rehearses its illusions -
perfect lighting, borrowed joy,
mirrors that never reflect the soul.

Some days I move through untouched,
some days the noise tries to tangle my steps,
some days it dissolves into nothing at all.

Still, I pray.

Most High God,
keep my vision clear
when false light tries to blind me.

Guard my steps
from the weight of pretending.

Do not let the lies of others
become obstacles on the path You set before me.

And for them -
those hiding behind faces they fear to remove -
lead them gently
to the place where masks are no longer required,
where truth is safe,
and where love does not demand performance.

Teach me to remain open,
even when others stay hidden.
Teach me to remain steady,
even when honesty feels costly.

May I never trade truth for comfort,
or authenticity for acceptance.

Let me walk uncovered,
held,
and unafraid.