Masks Make Relationships Impossible

How many masks do you wear?

Years ago, I saved an image of a person peeling away mask after mask until only a vulnerable human being remained underneath. When I recently came across it again, I realized why it had stayed with me all these years: I recognized myself in it.

In this reflection on identity, authenticity, accountability, and faith, I explore why we hide, what it costs us to keep performing, and the freedom that comes when we stop trying to manage everyone else's perception of us. Along the way, I wrestle with a difficult question: What if the goal isn't becoming someone new, but having the courage to let ourselves be fully seen?

Because maybe masks don't just hide us from one another.

Maybe masks make relationships impossible.