I believe that we all have “masks” that we put on everyday in public. You know, the “happy mask” when inside you are very sad. How about the, “I have it all together mask”, when inside you are so confused and over whelmed. We are forced to hide our true feelings, because no one has the time to really listen and help.
How are you doing? No one wants to really know! It has become a salutation like, “Hi, nice day!” How can you be a real person in a pretend world? How do we honestly answer the, “how ya doing?” I usually say, “o.k. I don’t say great. I don’t say bad. They are already on to the next person anyway.
As a Christian, we are told not to complain and to have faith that God will work all things to His good. I do believe that. We were never promised life would be easy. Look at the lives of the disciples, they died for their faith.
As many of you, I battle everyday whether to get out of bed or not. I force myself often to do what I feel I should do. I try to do my church activities first, like bible studies and such. Not because I have to, but because I want to. They always lift my spirit when I make the effort to go.
The other activities at night, or during the afternoon, I am just too exhausted to do. Most people understand. Some don’t. I have learned not to try to please everyone, because no one can. I know my limitations, but I take my obligations very seriously.
So, I put on my “smiley mask”, and go out the door. When I am alone, I take it off. My husbands sees and knows all the years of sickness and disease. He is still my greatest support. I don’t use the mask much around him.
I am really tired of the masks. I have great friends through church that pray for me daily, and they know many of my trials. I am blessed to have them. I hate to be a burden to anyone, so the “masks” help me to not be a big distraction.
I would rather leave than disrupt a service or meeting.
If we only could be true images of ourselves around people. Would they still even like us? Who really wants to know the real us? Maybe, you have a best friend that knows the real you. That is great, because you can let down your mask around them.
The bible says that we are to be a “light” to the nations. Others are suppose to see in us Jesus Christ, and our hope of our salvation. I hope that I can be the light that I want to be. God allowed these afflictions upon me for a reason. I want to praise God in the mist of them. This is not easy.
Remove your masks and be yourselves!
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