Will the *real* you, please stand up?

Masks. 

At the start of 2020, did you see yourself living in a masked world?

I certainly didn’t.

What I find most intriguing is how creative people have become with them masks. I never thought I’d see the day when face masks would become a fashion statement, complete with clothing co-ordination. Some designs have literally had me falling off my chair in disbelief!

Mask could look as plain as an A4 sheet of paper, for all I care. I’m not ready to splurge on something I already find them quite uncomfortable wearing. 

(Before you shoot me, don’t worry: I do wear them where and when I should) 

I do find one particular advantage of them though: Half the time, especially from a distance, folks don’t recognise me and/or I pretend not to recognise them behind their own masks. Which means I can usually avoid people when I don’t want to stop and chat with. 

Yes, yes, how very anti-social of me. But the tactic sure comes in handy every now and then!

Most people think we only started hiding behind masks at the beginning of the pandemic. In truth, most of us have probably been hiding behind them all our conscious lives- except these special brand of masks are internal.

Why?

I can think of several reasons…

Fear for one: Fear of being hurt, being taken for granted or not acknowledged at all.  You ever asked the question: “What if they don’t like the real me?” Then, you are afraid.

Inadequacy: “What if the real me isn’t enough?”

Oh and my personal favourite: Imposter Syndrome. You don’t feel like you belong so you hide behind what you believe is ‘acceptable’. 

The masks we wear come in all shapes, sizes and colours, the same as the ones adorning our faces in this pandemic. Except this one is an internal facade. Like hiding behind pride and name-dropping when you feel insecure. Or hiding behind anger to hide a deep-seated hurt. Or hiding behind a happy face when you’re dying of anxiety and depression on the inside.

Fact is, you can keep your mask in place all of your life and no one will ask questions. Nobody might even think to call you upon it.

But allow me lay this challenge before you today: Stop hiding! 

Remember you don’t only hide from loved ones or people in general. You hide from God (who we really can’t hide from, anyway. Case in point: Adam and Eve). 

Do you want to live to your full potential?

Do you want to be rid of the exhaustion that comes with living an inauthentic life?

Do you want to find healing and help in those areas you already struggle with?

Then you’ve got to stop hiding, friend. No way around it.

We didn’t come into the world with masks. God certainly didn’t make us that way. 

Somewhere along the way we chose to put the masks on which means, we can choose to take them off too, no matter how uncomfortable- or exposed- it might feel to do so. You just have to want it. Then desire it. And then determine to do it.

Kill all other choices except this one: The choice to be authentic. 

It takes courage to be vulnerable; real strength to show up as who we really are. But show up we must…if we’re to live the life God called us to.

Enough of the plastic

Enough of the surface living

It’s time to be brave

Speaking of masks, It’ll be interesting to see what Halloween brings. I predict skeletal masks will be EVERYWHERE. Actually, that’s not too hard a prediction, is it?