Mask Off
“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”- Proverbs 27:19
Did you have a favorite or silliest costume when trick or treating or attending a costume party? Mine was my favorite superhero, Spiderman. For those that do not dress up for Halloween, we all grew up playing make believe. We would pretend/imagine being a firefighter, police officer, astronaut, doctor, singer, or famous athlete.
Even though dressing up and pretending can be fun, God wants to help remove the masks we use to hide our true self. Too many times we wear masks to cover up and hide how we are really doing. We do not want others to see our pain, weaknesses, failures, and fears. It is interesting that Adam and Eve’s response to disobeying God, was to cover their nakedness and hide from Him (Genesis 3:7-8).
It is time to take the masks off, come out from hiding, and allow the TRUE LIGHT of God to shine in our hearts. In 2 Corinthians 4:6 we read, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of His knowledge in the face of Jesus Christ.” What a marvelous (and unmasked) miracle, that the same God whose first act at creation was delivering light into a dark world, sends His light into the deep places of our hearts. His true light is available, so our true self is availed!
We can remove the masks that display a smile, an “everything’s fine” attitude, but conceal the hurt we feel, the anger we have, the doubt that has creeped in, and the struggle we are going through. One way we can remove masks is through prayer. Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Let’s also reach out to sisters and brothers who are full of faith and love, to share where we are at and what we are feeling. We were never meant to carry every burden and care alone. Allowing others into our lives brings strength, support, and wisdom. Romans 12:15 tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Let’s stop allowing the darkness to win by taking the Light of Jesus in!