Comedic Tragedy

 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

                                        Matthew 6:16-18

         As a Christian, there are moments when we need answers from God, and sometimes he does not give them until we have humbled our heart and brought our request to his feet. One of the ways we do this is through an act of fasting. Unlike the world, however, nobody needs to know we are skipping a meal or "take a social media fast". The act of fasting is just that, a one-man show to an audience of one, the Lord. As a theater kid at heart, I am reminded of the symbol of the theater, the masks of Comedy and Tragedy. 

        Two masks, representing two outward emotions designed to bring a laugh, or maybe even shed a tear. By yourself, we may do something or say something that brings a smile to our face. In order to get the same response from an audience, we need to be big with our emotions, to the point that feels over the top. But this is not at all how God commands us to treat our one-on-one time with him.

        The masks of Comedy and Tragedy remind us how easily we slip into performance—showing joy or sorrow for the sake of an audience. In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to remove the mask and live authentically before God, not fasting or praying for human applause. True worship happens in secret, where our Father sees the heart, not the act. When we trade performance for sincerity, we find freedom in His presence.

        God isn't asking for a performance, He is asking for a genuine, willing heart that desires to grow closer to him, especially when nobody else gets to see it. Your spiritual growth is not a nightly stage show, but a daily walk with the one who created the heavens and the earth.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Sermon on the Mount