Behind the mask

What is a mask used for? A mask always has one purpose: hiding your true identity. Kids wear masks at Halloween, pretending to be someone they’re not. Actors and actresses wear make-up and wigs and change their voices to pretend to be a character they are really not. A mask gives you something to hide behind.

But you don’t have to go trick-or-treating or watch a movie to pretend. The world is full of people who hide who they really are, and you and I are included. We all try to hide a part of ourselves from the people around us. So much so, that it becomes really difficult to get to know someone. Think for a minute about what we don’t want others to know. Something about our past; what we’re really thinking; or what we’re afraid of. The list can go on, but we know it’s true.

What if someone knew everything about you—even those deep, dark secrets you want to hide? What if they saw the good and the bad? That’s a scary thought, but the Bible says,

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I
sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern
my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”
(Psalm 139:1-4)

You can’t hide anything from God.

And that’s a good thing, because most of the things we want to hide are also sources of guilt, shame, and fear. They represent deep wounds that have turned into scars over time. Instead of bringing them into the light, we choose to push them into the dark corner of our souls. But here’s a truth: you can’t heal what you won’t reveal. And with God, everything is out in the open. He knows what you’ve been through and everything you’ve done. He wants you to be healthy and whole.

The best place to begin healing those deep wounds that no one knows about is to bring them into the light of God’s love and forgiveness. You can be honest with God because you’re not telling him anything he doesn’t already know.