Brenda’s Blog – December 2, 2014
“What if I take off the mask and there is no one there?”
As I told my friend about Steve Brown’s teaching on masks at The Cove in North Carolina, he paused and asked this poignant question. His expression mirrored the thoughts we may all have.
We wear masks of gentility, civility, humility, and spirituality. We don coverings for our fears, our difficult emotions, and our inability to cope. We walk around appearing to live well and prosper even when we are struggling for breath. “Don’t let them see you sweat” is mask language as is “fake it ‘til you make it.”
However, we are not called to be self-ordained mask rippers. We are not given the task of demasking others in the name of transparency. We have a big enough job just removing our own without creating havoc and chaos.
Interestingly enough, when we are given the armor of God, a mask to cover and protect our face is not issued. We are to cover our head, protecting our thoughts with the power of salvation; a chestplate which guards our heart with His righteousness; a belt which tells us the truth and keeps our pants from falling down; shoes which prepare us to walk in peace; a shield which is formed in community to stand against the fiery darts, and then the sword of the spirit which is the word of God putting us on the offense. NO FACE MASK.
Even though we may dread taking off the false front, we can find freedom in our relationships, our career, our community service, and certainly in our worship lives. The Bible tells us we will one day see Him as He is. The joy of the Christian faith is that with His help we can step out showing who we are.
My friend worries that no one is behind the carefully crafted mask. I bet he would be surprised and relieved. After all, those masks get heavy and they probably cause wrinkles as they drag us down!