How
are you? How are you feeling? How is everything? How’s the family? These are some of the most common
questions that we are asked every day, and most of the time for many of us when
answering these questions, we are answering them while wearing a “mask” (a covering, worn as a disguise). Sadly, this is even more prevalent in the church.
Somehow, we have gotten to a place where we are
living day-to-day in the comfortability of wearing a mask and feeling the need
to put up this false perception. A perception that we want those around us to
see, while wanting them to think that everything is well when clearly things
are not. We would rather walk around
with our struggles, hurts, and pains, and pretend that we haven’t been through anything,
then to be transparent and remove our mask.
Some even hiding behind social media while trying to maintain this image. This is not saying that we must tell everyone
everything that’s going on with us or to be an open book, but somehow we’ve gotten so good at wearing
the mask that we are even acting as if God can’t see pass the mask. Our creator, the one that formed us and knew
us before we even knew ourselves, not seeing behind the mask that we wear,
often is one of the greatest forms of deception the enemy wants us to believe.
(Jeremiah
1:5 NLT) 5“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you
were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
If He created us, then obviously He knew what
would take place and the precise moments it would, while also knowing that
there would be times when everything would not be okay. I’ve learned that what we may be going
through at this time or what we may have gone through was not only to show us
the areas in our life that God wants to deliver, heal, and restore us from, but
it’s to draw us closer to Him as well.
Its purpose is so that God can take us to another level deeper in Him
and at the same time keeping us humble. When
we are filled with so much pride that we are unable to reach out and say to our
sister or brother that we are going through something or may need prayer or assistance,
we often miss out not only on the lesson that God has for us but the blessing
that’s waiting for us. Understand that God will lead you to whom to go to; but,
if your pride is greater, you will fail to see who He is sending you to.
(Proverbs 29:3NLT) 23Pride
ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.
We often wear the mask as a form of
protection, wanting acceptance, hiding our past, not wanting to be hurt or not
wanting others to see our needs, illnesses, flaws, weaknesses, disappointments,
issues, short comings, pains, and vulnerabilities, not realizing the mask
causes more harm than good. While we may
feel as though we are protecting and blocking out these things, we are also
blocking the things that we need to be exposed to as well as the things that do
need to enter into our lives.
(Hebrews 4:13 NL) 13 Nothing
in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his
eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
Imagine humbling yourself and removing the
mask and being completely free. Trusting God totally! Imagine beginning to see deliverance taking
place in those areas of your life that you needed to be delivered; that you
begin to experience and feel healing from the hurt that you’ve suppressed for
so long; that the low self-esteem you walked around with has now begun to transform
you into walking more confidently in Christ, and even those areas you thought
were your weaknesses, you now see them as areas of strength. Imagine
your pain turning into joy when you humble yourself, when asked, and answer honestly
by saying, “No, I’m not okay” during those times when you aren’t. Then watching
God move in a mighty way, through intercession of prayer, financial blessing
from someone, receiving words of encouragement that are needed to help you
press on, or even receiving the necessary information or services you may need
at that time.
(James 4:10 NLT) 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and
he will lift you up in honor.
Choose today to remove the mask and let the
process begin in your life. Your journey
has molded you for the greater good and you will never be able to truly enjoy
life and all that God has in store for you until you remove your mask. Allow the real you to be blessed and to be a blessing
to someone who needs to hear your story.
Be transparent, willing to share your story to the Glory of God of how He
bought you out, how He delivered you, but most importantly, how He healed
you. Something God has done for you may
be just what your sister or brother needs to hear.
God already knows you and He loves the real
you… REMOVE THE MASK!
(Romans 5:8) 8But God showed
his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still
sinners.
Be Encouraged!
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