I’ve never been to a Mardi Gras party or a costume party. It sounds fun and exciting to attend a party where everyone is wearing beautiful jeweled masks. I envision such an event with women wearing long flowing dresses, their dates looking handsome in tuxes, my husband and I wearing masks as we attempt to recognize our friends behind their masks.
It sounds like a fun party, right? How many of us, though, wear a mask as we live our day-to-day lives? The masks may even be jeweled and glittered so that we can feel beautiful and all put together for whomever may be watching. The mask we put on may look pretty and may even allow us to feel good for a time, but it isn’t real and it doesn’t last. If we are wearing a mask in our daily life, we aren’t allowing anyone to know us as we truly are.
This mask can become your identity. You can even wear multiple masks, switching them out as you interact with your coworkers, spouse, family or friends. It can become very burdensome to be sure that you have the right mask on at the right time, until finally you have to face the question: “Who are you?”
I wore a mask for quite a few years. The mask wasn’t just for the people around me; I also wore it to hide from the pain and the lies that I believed about myself. We can get so used to telling everyone that we are okay and everything is good that we may even begin to believe it is true. I know I did. I learned how to stuff the pain and the memories down deeper and deeper so I could pretend that they really weren’t there. We can become great at believing our pain is completely behind us and that we are “over it.”
Or can we? All it may take is a comment or even a look and that pain can come right back up to the surface. I know how powerful those arrows are because of how I experienced them in my own life. I also know from experience that we’re unable to truly lay down our masks until we receive the healing power of the Lord Jesus in our heart.
A beautiful story in the Bible that reveals the power of Jesus’ love setting a person free is of the Samaritan woman at the well. She came to the well wearing a mask, but Jesus saw beyond her sin and all her layers of illusion. He revealed His love for the woman she really was, and as He revealed His truth, she was completely set free. She ran back into town unashamed and told everyone about Jesus (John 4:4-34).
There may be moments that you feel beautiful and accepted as you wear your mask, but my prayer for you is that you will experience the powerful love of the Lord so that you will:
- Sit with him and willingly lay your mask down.
- Receive his healing love and truth in your heart.
- Replace the lies with his truth.
- Leave your mask at his feet so you can run in the freedom that he has for you!
The Lord already took all of your guilt and shame at the cross. You need only come to him and receive everything he already died to give you.
Elle Stahlhut Roetzel is an author, Breakthrough coach, and speaker who passionately pursues the Lord’s presence, inspiring others into their journey of healing, revelation, and intimacy. You can connect with her at www.Elleunlimited.com.
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