some musings by Michael Wilson
Every time we turn on our TVs these days, we see people wearing masks. The news is filled with discussions about how we need more masks and other protective kit (PPE) for our healthcare workers. They show people out jogging or shopping or standing about all wearing masks. And without a doubt, those masks that people are using have had an incredibly positive effect in limiting the spread of the Covid-19 virus and have saved many lives.
But all this discussion about masks has set my mind to working in a different direction. Before this pandemic most of us associated masks with Halloween, the pagan festival that gives most of us Christians the willies. October 31st, Halloween night, is when all the little ghosts, ghouls, and goblins come out of their caves once again to shake us down for candy and treats, having no idea of the evil, demonic roots of the festival, nor the significance of much that goes on in the name of “good, clean fun.”
I can still remember back when I was a kid, my friends and I would dress up for Halloween and wear masks to go out Trick-or-Treating. But very often, before the night was over, we would find ourselves doing naughty, malicious, destructive things that we normally would not have done, because the masks gave us a false sense of courage and a feeling of anonymity. The masks veiled our identities and emboldened us to do those wicked things. However, many of us grownups wear masks every day, and that is far more disturbing. Sometimes, adults wear masks because we want to appear more perfect than we really are. But the reality of it is, all of us are so very imperfect. Yet we persist in wearing masks to hide who we really are from others because we fear their disapproval, believing that we must present ourselves in a certain way in order to fit in and be accepted. We are afraid of letting people see the real “us,” so depending on the occasion or circumstance we slip on the appropriate mask to fit the need of the moment. At work we may throw on a mask of authority and power, in order to seem like we are in control of our environment. At home we may put on a mask of “everything is okay,” out of fear that our spouse might worry, or even stop loving us if they find out we have real problems. Some people wear their super-religious masks to conceal the guilt and shame of their secret sins. Sometimes we wear our smiley-face mask to conceal our fear, anger, hurt, worry, or depression.
Even at church some people put on a mask of pious righteousness to try and convince others that they really have their stuff together, when they don’t at all. This is especially sad because church is the place where all our masks should come off and we should be genuine before God and other believers. God’s house is the place where we should be able to bring the ugly sinful things in our life and lay them before our Heavenly Father. We should not be concerned about what others think, but only about what God knows. Yet on and on we go, shuffling our masks on and off from situation to situation. So why do we wear these stupid masks anyway? In a nutshell, we wear masks to conceal things about us that we do not want others to know, because we are afraid of what they will think, say, or do when they find out about us.
But there are some observations I would make about masks:
- Masks are always uncomfortable because they rub and chafe, just ask our healthcare workers these days.
- It is extremely lonely behind a mask. Masks force us to keep our distance from others. They prevent us from opening ourselves up and having meaningful relationships with one another.
- Other people are not really fooled by our masks anyway. The only person fooled is the one wearing the mask, but most people can quickly spot a phony.
- God’s does not even look at our dumb mask. His eyes pierce straight past the mask into our heart.
So how do we remove our masks and become the people God wants us to be? The apostle Paul gives us some clues in Colossians 3:12-17. Read these verses with masks in mind, and I think you’ll be able to connect up the dots for yourself:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
One other text comes to my mind. Genesis chapter 3 tells about The Fall, which has had tremendous repercussions on all of God’s creation, including us. “Then the eyes of both of them [Adam and Eve] were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings” (Genesis 3:7). When they disobeyed God and sinned, Adam and Eve fell from their state of innocence. They experienced for the first-time guilt and separation from God. They realized that they were naked and so they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. But God can see through fig leaves! It is always a waste of time and energy to try and hide from Him.
Do you see the spiritual lesson here? Lots of people put on “fig leaves” to hide themselves from God’s scrutiny. Maybe the fig leaves of good works, religious devotion, piety, or sincerity. But God can see through our fig leaves! He sees our sin. He sees our spiritual nakedness. You cannot fool Him!In the same way, many of us Christians wear masks. We pretend to be something that we are not. We have our “Sunday mask.” We have our “model-parent mask.” We have our “happy Christian mask,” etc. etc. We try to hide our true character from each other, and even more amazing, we think we can hide our true character from God!
But masks are like fig leaves, and God can see through fig leaves! And He can see through our masks just as easily. We need to quit trying to hide from God and let Him change our character so we don’t have to wear masks and fig leaves anymore.
The word “integrity” means being the same on the outside as you are on the inside. It is about being the same person when you are at home all alone in the dark, as you are when people are watching you. We need to become men and women of integrity. All of us come to God broken. That is a fact! Maybe it’s alcoholism, pornography, adultery, drug addiction, selfishness, gossip, a nasty temper, greed, or envy. What is it that hides behind your mask? It does not matter. In Christ there is genuine and complete cleansing and forgiveness. Moreover, after we become His children, God forgets what we were and only sees us as we are now, in Christ Jesus. The masks can come down. We do not have to pretend with Him. He knows everything, and He loves us anyway. How wonderful is that?
Let’s take off our stupid masks since they don’t work anyway, and let’s make sure that we don’t slip them back on. And remember, God loves parties, but His are always “come-as-you-are parties,” not “masquerade balls.”
Just thinking out loud again,
Mike
P.S. Some of you work in healthcare or other jobs that require masks. You know the relief that comes when at the end of your shift you can finally remove your mask. Let that serve as an illustration of what I have been talking about here. When we finally decide to be honest with God, ourselves, and others and drop our masks, the relief is wonderful.