Learning to Live Without Masks

At some point, we all have worn masks to hide our “real selves” from the outside world. In fact, we often go to painstaking efforts to construct a captivating masquerade to show those around us the “self” we think they really want to see. It’s likely, at some point in your life, you too have worn a mask out of fear that people wouldn’t fully accept or like you — if they knew the “real” you.

“And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”  Hebrews 4:13

Some of us dawn the mask of the perfectionist — some, the mask of being the pleaser, while others work incessantly to maintain the mask of the entertainer.

Identifying the root cause of our masks is essential in learning how to take them off. No matter when or why our “mask-wearing” began, we must discover what caused us to put them on in the first place. Otherwise, they will remain a part of our wardrobe for the rest of our lives.

Regardless of the cause, God wants to reveal the broken places that motivate us to cover up. He wants us to share our burdens, concerns, and issues with other believers who will pray for us, support us, and love us unconditionally — so we can be healed. Therefore, it’s essential we have a trusted friend or loved one that we can disclose our “true self” to. This is the only way we are going to begin to shed God’s light into some of the hurt places within our souls that cause us to remain in hiding.

Whether you show the “real you” to others — or not, Christ knows who you are. He sees the good, the bad, and the ugly that we all possess, and He loves us anyway… unconditionally and eternally.

Jesus is calling us to lay our masks aside and trust Him with our true identities. He wants us to confess our weaknesses, sins, and failures so He can cover them and make us whole again.

Begin uncovering your true self by implementing the following steps in your daily life.

1. Pray and confess your fears and failures to God and allow Him to comfort and reassure you with His presence and unconditional love.
2. Memorize 1 John 1:8-9, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
3. Reach out to a trusted friend or loved one and share your secrets with them, asking them to pray for you and encourage you as you begin to uncover your true self.

Will you make a commitment today and take at least one step towards removing your masks and begin the process of overcoming the hurt that prevents you from being all God created you to be?