Today’s Halloween 2012, a day for masks, costumes and goodies. It’s a day when you expect people to be a little nutty and goofy and to hide who they truly are from you.
But after the day is done, the masks come off…or do they?
I don’t know about you, but I know sometimes I act differently depending on who I’m with…a little more reserved in professional settings and a little less inhibited when in the company of close family and friends. In a way, that’s a mask normal for most of us to wear every day.
I don’t really see a problem with that mask because I know I’m just tempering the real me, like when you keep yourself quiet when you’re in church. You don’t change who you are. You just hold back a part of yourself because it’s appropriate given the location or circumstances. Or when you wear a little face powder or makeup to cover up a zit. That’s more of a vanity mask.
But what other masks do you wear? Do you hide your beliefs? Your dreams? Your hopes? Your fears? Your dislikes? Your opinions? Are you afraid to open up, afraid of what people will think? These are the masks that hold us back from being who we are.
Fear of accepting who we really are — and whether or not others will approve — is a mask that hides our authentic selves and all the warts, imperfections and goofiness that makes us who we are.
Take a chance. Don’t hide in the shadows. Take off your mask and open up. Some people may like you; others may not. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you are the unique you God meant you to be. Enjoy it…goofiness and all!
