This morning we had to get up really early at our house. (I'm still tired) We had to get up early because we had to transform Abbi into Cinderella by 8:00am. Today she was having the Halloween party at her school, and all the kindergarten students were dressed up. I saw lots of princesses and spidermans as well as a few Ghosts and goblins as well.
There was one little boy that was wearing a mask and he could hardly see out of it. His Mom was trying to adjust it to make it fit better so that he could at least walk in a straight line.
Most of us have stopped dressing up on Halloween, we put away the costumes and the make up, but yet as adults we often put on a different kind of mask. I like to call it the I'm fine mask.
We can be having the worst day and yet when people ask us how we are we say "I'm fine." Why do we do that? Why do we act like things are OK when really there not? Now I understand that you're not going to lay your heart out to every person that asks you How you are doing, that would just make you look weird and needy. However a lot of us never let people into our lives when things are going bad, instead we wear our masks.
There are times when we will even try and trick God with our Masks. We will ignore the hurts and the wounds that life has given us and we will just pray I'm Fine prayers to God. What's an I'm fine prayer? It looks like this:
Hi God, I'm now going to pray for everybody else and ignore the problems in my own life because I'm Fine (even though you're not)
God can't be tricked, What God wants you to do is take off the mask and be yourself.
Matthew 6:7-8 says "when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
The mask that you wear doesn't trick God, all it does it is block your vision. We need to take off the masks with each other and with God if we are ever going to Be real.
What mask are you wearing?
PJ
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2 comments:
I think in my own life I find that I even try to convince myself that I am fine. I actually have been dealing with this in my own life lately. Lets just say I needed to have time off so the flu and eye surgery needed to happen to keep me away from work. I have been working hard lately to actually tell people close to me how I feel about this or that or even if their actions bother me. I would suggest we all try this it feels very uncomfortable at first but the more you get used to it the easier it gets and I think it is healthier to be real then have to go around pretending all the time.
it's funny when you actually do express how you feel, how many strange looks you will get. Try it! In an elevator. I love elevator conversations....they last about 10-15 seconds but can completly change your day! Our culture/society expects "fine," so when you serve up something that isn't "fine," people aren't trained with how to respond. We all have frustrations and stresses and one way or another it will come out. We just get to choose to bottle it up and pretend it doesn't exist (when it does), or deal with it. And still the choice is ours, how will we deal with it? Sometimes nothing feels better than in the middle of a stressful day to let out a loud Garfield inspired "AARRRGGGGHHHHH!"
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