It’s hard to believe, but it’s true – not just for one man, but for all mankind. We live our lives behind masks, behind false facades that we have constructed for ourselves to hide our true identities. We sometimes have several different masks throughout a single day, making ourselves look like someone else to please someone else’s expectations.
Sometimes we wear the “life is all good – see my smile?” mask to hide the pain we are going through. Sometimes we wear the “I never struggle with sin and temptation” mask to hide the fact that we are just as vulnerable and messed up as the next guy or gal. We think it’s working, even though nobody is really buying it.
There are all kinds of masks and we get pretty good at wearing one or another most of our waking hours of the day. Even when we are around those who know us best and love us the most – our family and friends – we still hide much of our thoughts and feelings. We can even deceive ourselves that God Himself can be fooled by our masks. We put on the “I’m a very religious person!” mask and pat ourselves on the back for being “good people.”
The problem is that God definitely knows better, and so do most of those who live around us. God created us, sustains us, knows our thoughts and intentions, hears our every word, and sees our every action. He’s not impressed with our finely crafted masks! Our family and friends also know better, because they are just like us – sinners in need of the grace and forgiveness of God. So let’s decide to give up on the masks and get back to real authentic living. When we choose integrity instead of charades we will find our Lord and our fellow travelers ready to love and embrace us just as we are, and we’ll find the help we need to make real lasting changes for the good.
Towards a Mask Free Life,
Chaplain Brian