We Wear the Mask
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile:
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!!
- Paul Lawrence Dunbar
(This was a poem I read in college for one of my African American Studies classes)
Who are you? Do you even know who you are? Many of us suffer from an identity crisis. Have we worn a mask so long that we forgot what we look like? (James 1:22-24) Many people are broke but live above their means just to have the "appearance" that they have money. Little do the outsiders know these people are struggling to pay their bills every month. How about the flawless pastors that preach in the pulpits all over every sunday, telling us to get our houses in order but monday through saturday they are running women and having affairs? What about their wives who know all this and are secretly suffering, and hurting inside and still manage to put on a fake smile face for the congregation that says everythings fine in our household when she knows that everything isnt? These are just examples. When you look in the mirror what do YOU see? You should see your own reflection; an image of you. But are you looking at the REAL you- the person God created and sees or is the reflection staring back at you the person you only want others to see? A mirror displays exactly what it sees-it reflects nothing but the truth. A mirror allows us to truly examine ourselves. Every scar, every pimple, every facial discoloration. Mirrors expose every flaw we try to hide by applying makeup or a concealer. We cover up the things we want to keep hidden or try to camoflauge and blend them in. Some people won't even go outside without first applying their make up- "I have to put my face on" they say-wouldn't be caught dead without it. In 2009 Loreal, and Avon were the #1 and #2 in cosmetic sales in the US. They can only help fix up the outside, they can't fix you up internally. Make up creates a false look (deceit) as opposed to one's own natural beauty(truth). Do you "put your face on " everyday? We should be honest with ourselves first and foremost and be honest with others. See yourself for who and what you really are; Don't allow a spirit of pride and deceit to be the foundation you apply to cover up the blemishes(sin) in your life. You smudge it on by refusing to acknowledge it or ignoring it- trust me without truth, the blemishes won't go away. And dabbing on excuses (concealer) for justification won't help either. David said in Psalm 69:5 "O, God you know how foolish I am? my sins cannot be hidden from you." David was honest with God, isnt it time we were? God said that he will not allow deceivers to serve in his house and a liar will not tarry in his sight (Psalm 101:7) Remember all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open and everything that is concealed will be brought into the light and made known to all.
"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish but inside you are still filthy- full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee.First wash the inside of the cup and the dish and the outside will become clean too. What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness." Stop the white wash! Fix up your inside first, get your heart right then work on the outside (Mark 7:15)- it is not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.(Mark 7:20-23- )It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts,sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires,envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these vile things come from within: they are what defile you. You can't clean up the outside until you first clean up the inside! Afterall its whats on the inside that counts right!!
Are you wearing a mask? Are you trying to protect your true identity? Who are you hiding from? God knows the real you, but do you know who you are? We are given a conscience for a reason. We have the Holy Spirit in us to help convict us when we are wrong to bring about change. God desires truth in the inward parts(Psalm 51:6) So,unless we as professing Christians act quickly after hearing the Word of God, we will forget the changes and improvements that our reflection and the Holy Spirit have shown us that we need to make. When was that last time you took a good look in the mirror? Many of us are afraid to look in the mirror because we already know that we wont be happy with the what we see. We should examine ourselves daily and ask God to change those things that are not pleasing to Him.(Psalm 26:2) Change is not change unless you Change. Take off the mask and wipe off the false face you present to people everyday. Be a DOER not just a hearer. Allow God to do your spiritual make-over. Today the masks come off to be worn no more........
Comments