We all wear a mask.
Sometimes we wear more than one.
And sometimes we we wear so many, we don’t even know who we are without one.
We talked about this recently with our youth group, and even more recently our pastor spoke on it in church.
Why are we so afraid to share who we really are?
Why are we so reluctant to ACCEPT those who are sharing their true authentic selves?
Does it make us uncomfortable in our skin, because maybe we see too much of ourselves in their weaknesses?
I am guilty of wearing masks.
And while I’d like to think that I wear them because it’s who I so desire to be, what I should be more focused on is not pretending but BECOMING that person.
The truth?
I am not always confident.
Sometimes and often I am insecure and I care far too much what others think about me.
I am not always happy and outgoing.
I struggle, daily sometimes, with anxiety and fear.
I am not always strong in my faith and in my relationship with God.
There are days I have questions and feel so far from His presence.
This is me.
This is where I am at this moment in my life.
And I know, despite appearances and masks, God still sees what is there…
yet He LOVES and ACCEPTS me right where I am.
As we walk around today, seeing the costumes and masks that consume Halloween, I pray we all can take a minute and think about the masks we ourselves are wearing.
And more importantly, know that even without those masks….
as imperfect and weak as we think we are…
We are still worthy of love and acceptance.
Wearing a mask may be the “in” thing to do.
But are you willing to go against the crowd?
Wearing a mask may be the “in” thing to do.
But are you willing to go against the crowd?
*~~~~~~~*
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David.
A psalm.
1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
© 2011 “Le Musings of Moi”
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If you are going to reference me I expect my name to be in your blog and possibly a picture. Great thoughts. You’ve got a good thing going!
Jack
You said:
I am not always confident.
Sometimes and often I am insecure and I care far too much what others think about me.
I am not always happy and outgoing.
I struggle, daily sometimes, with anxiety and fear.
I am not always strong in my faith and in my relationship with God.
There are days I have questions and feel so far from His presence.
We are ALL these things. I know I am. And the Lord “perceives our thoughts from afar”. Amen and amen.
Yes, we all do this. Especially, I think, in the blogging world – where it’s easier to just show the world the “nice” and the “pretty.”
This was a very raw and authentic post. I want to thank you for sharing! I think we are all fearful, anxious people looking for acceptance.