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[dropcap2 variation=”coffee”]W[/dropcap2]ho knows when each of us started wearing our masks, but chances are it was pretty early. Something went wrong. We got hurt. It wasn’t safe to be ourselves anymore. So we fashioned a mask to hide behind, just in case.
As we grew, we tried on a few more in an effort to find one that really fit and produced the results we wanted. Thinking we found it, we cemented it in place. We became the mask. The mask became us.
Thankfully, because masks are not real, they begin to show signs of wear over time. The polish wears off. Cracks begin to appear. They begin to slide here and there. This is a good thing.
And one day we wake up and realize that too much of life has slipped by. We look in the mirror and wonder who we really are. We’ve gotten so used to playing a role that who God made us to be has gotten buried somewhere along the way. We suffocated the voice of our heart, and now the internal silence is deafening.
We know the mask needs to come off, but we are terrified. We’ve gotten used to hiding. And then we find ourselves face-to-face with Jesus.
He embraces us, and we know he means it. His acceptance and love begin to dissolve the cement that holds our masks in place. He whispers to us almost amazing messages about who we are now in him. We begin to see the old messages for what they are – lies designed to keep us from living our destiny.
Slowly, mistakes become okay. Regrets begin to fade away. We turn from the past toward a new present and future. Our hearts have come alive, committed to discovering and living the purpose and mission that God has given us.
And one morning over coffee, we make a decision. We smile, and take our box of old masks outside. One by one, we smash them on the sidewalk, and declare openly to the world that we belong to Jesus, and we are not going back.
This is our journey.
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