Behind The Mask

Written by Kurt Wallace | Mid-Days on Hope Radio

October is the season of costumes, candy, and church Trunk or Treats! You’ll see little superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs, and if you are at our house and our grandkids are there, maybe a UPS Driver, Paw Patrol member and a couple of Pokemon characters (I still don’t get that whole thing!).  And that’s part of the fun!

But October also got me thinking about a different kind of mask. The kind we wear when we’re not dressing up for our church Trunk or Treat.

Maybe it’s the “I’m doing great!” mask when life feels anything but great. Or the “I’ve got it all together” mask when you’re barely holding things together. Maybe you put on a smile because you don’t want anyone to know how lonely you feel, how worried you are about your kids, or how heavy life has become.

We all do it sometimes, don’t we?  We hide the parts of ourselves we’re afraid people might not understand.  I know I have!  

But here’s the beautiful thing about God: He sees the real you, even behind the mask. And He loves you.

Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows us completely. He knows when we sit down and when we get up. He understands our thoughts. There’s nowhere we can go where His presence isn’t with us.

That means you don’t have to pretend with Him. You don’t have to put on a happy face, find the right words, or convince Him you’re doing better than you are.

God already knows your struggles, your fears, your questions, and your heart. And He invites you to bring all of it to Him.

Maybe today you need to hear this: You are fully known by God and fully loved by Him. Not the polished-up version of you. Not the version everyone else sees. The real you.

So, as you enjoy the costumes and candy this month, remember that the people around you may be wearing masks you can’t see. A little extra kindness, a patient response, or simply asking someone how they’re really doing could mean more than you know.

And when you talk to God, you can take your mask off.

He sees you. He knows you. He loves you.  And, here at Hope we try to remind you of that every day!

That’s a truth worth carrying with you long after October is over!!