Behind the Mask to the Real . . . Pressing into 1 John 4
/Each of us is a real person behind the masks we wear. Some of those masks are self-imposed to protect us from “being exposed” for who we are. They portray a false self.
But then there are other “masks” that are “good” in the sense they are rightful or necessary or “just are.” I say “masks” because they still can, in a sense, hide the real person inside. I’m thinking of the roles we have in life: mother, teacher, athlete, sister, wife, pastor, etc. (See previous post “Removing our Masks”)
And I just realized something — our bodies can serve as masks…physical beauty or lack thereof, aging, physical handicaps etc. And here is a shocker: if a much older version of ourself is our current mask, then our kids and grandkids and many others will most likely remember us old. But guess what? our youthful beauty was a mask of sorts too.
So how much more important might it be that we get to know the real person “within” our mother or child or other relative . . . even the difficult one. Or how about that handicapped person we may be avoiding because it’s too uncomfortable to relate?
But how do we get to the real? This is the question I’ve been pondering lately.
There’s not a whole lot I can do if others only view who I am through those rightful “masks,” except to make sure I’m not “hiding” but being willing to be vulnerable and real with others (appropriately, of course).
But what I’m wondering is how can I see other people in my life for the real precious person that God made each of them to be?
With all this alone time, I have realized some sad losses . . . and so there is grief. I’ve missed opportunities to see through the “masks” of “roles” of several significant people in my life who are now gone — my dad (he died “too soon"), my mother-in-law, a cousin, a friend, …. Now it’s too late.
But it’s never too late with God to begin anew and open my eyes afresh to the relationships around me right now.
Maybe by being intentional, reaching out in some way, pressing in, inviting a deeper communication. That’s it!
Inviting that other person into a greater intimacy, rather than staying on the surface of life. Taking the risk. Asking the deeper questions, even the hard ones at the right time, because . . .
. . . it’s really all about loving God and letting Him love through me the people
He has put in my life.
So in the midst of my wonderings and wanderings, I’m pressing into a passage in the apostle John’s first letter. Why not join me there, and as always, I would love to hear your wonderings and suggestions. The comment section below is always ready and waiting for you.
1 John 4:10-17 NLT
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. . .
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