I turned the corner to the Halloween aisle and saw three short goblins giggling under the full-body costumes they were trying on. Their mother looked up at me, embarrassed, and apologized as she pulled them aside. Costumes have changed since I was a little girl. I remember the cheap plastic masks with the elastic string, painted face, and cut-outs for eyes. The smell of the plastic takes me back to lugging my candy bucket and feeling transformed into someone else for one night. The neighborhood kids were now ghosts, clowns, skeletons, princesses. My favorite Halloween mask was Superwoman. I remember the feeling when I put it on. No longer Lisa, but a superhero with only my eyes peeking out. The mask hid my face and turned me into someone amazing.
It makes me realize how easily we slide into our masks as adults, but these are very different. That painted Halloween mask is full of good fun, but as adults, we wear figurative masks to hide our fears, cover perceived weaknesses, or disguise our brokenness. I know, because the grown-up me has worn every kind of mask. I didn’t want people to see that brokenness or take advantage of my vulnerability.
If we live behind these masks, it can make us numb. We’re only going through the motions of life, and our giving and doing becomes inauthentic. We’re motivated to perpetuate the image, not to find depth in our own lives or go deeper in our relationships with others. Social media is a huge culprit, convincing us the grass is greener “over there.” Often, that facade of the perfect life is only someone else masking up, afraid to reveal their authentic self.
There are so many masks these days! And behind them are big fears and a long list of “what-ifs.” What if they think I’m weak? What if they think I’m not the person I appear to be? What if they see the real me and don’t like that person? Masks hide authenticity and keep people from seeing God’s genuine creation. You! It feels safer to stay behind the costume, playing the comparison game and working hard for a perfection we’ll never reach.
When I began my nonprofit journey, a friend who was also in nonprofit work warned me about these masks, and the danger of trusting people who were not authentic. It was
strangely prophetic, but at the time, I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I thought everyone in that world would be honest and transparent. It wasn’t long before I saw the masks and realized I had stumbled into some artificial relationships. I had even handed over precious things and had become that too-trusting person my friend warned me about. I had been betrayed, and it was devastating. It caused me to think back on all the masks I had worn, and how I had made promises I couldn’t keep. I had said things I didn’t mean and tried to be anyone but the real me. Seeing that inauthenticity in people I dearly trusted made me realize how easy it is to hurt others behind our masks. I’ve learned to set boundaries and recommit daily to take the masks off.
strangely prophetic, but at the time, I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I thought everyone in that world would be honest and transparent. It wasn’t long before I saw the masks and realized I had stumbled into some artificial relationships. I had even handed over precious things and had become that too-trusting person my friend warned me about. I had been betrayed, and it was devastating. It caused me to think back on all the masks I had worn, and how I had made promises I couldn’t keep. I had said things I didn’t mean and tried to be anyone but the real me. Seeing that inauthenticity in people I dearly trusted made me realize how easy it is to hurt others behind our masks. I’ve learned to set boundaries and recommit daily to take the masks off.Taking off those masks and revealing the person behind them feels unnatural. If we’re used to pretending we’re someone else, we might forget who we really are. But God reminds us that who we are is more than enough.
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10.
There might be people who think we are weak after we peel off our mask and tell our raw stories. But this verse reminds us that when we are authentic, warts and all, then we are strong. God can do mighty things when we share our stories of darkness, pain, and hardships. As we tell our stories of imperfection to those who need to hear them, we are building the lasting relationships we all crave. Your story might just be the manual someone is needing to hear so they too can walk in freedom and live mask free!
What would the world look like if we all embraced mask-free living? I am thankful that the mask with elastic string is just a decorative piece on my shelf. It reminds me Who I belong to. Let’s take those masks off and walk in authenticity together.