These two dear friends were such good sports! At our Women’s Retreat several years ago, they were recruited to allow their makeup to be put on from behind. The girls applying their makeup could only use touch to decide where to place eye shadow, blush, and lipstick. A little crowd reaction may have guided them as well, but as you can see we weren’t much help!
I’ve been wondering, do we put on our “face” to cover up what’s going on inside? We think if we make the outside look perfect no one will notice the junk on the inside. We are afraid that others will judge us, criticize us, or reject us so we try our best to hide our hearts.
Our Heavenly Father sees our hearts, junk and all. He sees us without our masks, even though we so often try to wear them before Him, too. He invites us to get honest before Him, to repent, and allow Him to wash off our masks through forgiveness.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23
I used to wear a mask that hid a heart filled with fear of rejection. The truth was that fear couldn’t prevent the reality of rejection. Fear can’t prevent! However, the Lord has set me free! He has healed my wounded heart, delivered me from fear, and used my scars to bless others.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
My dear sisters in faith have been some of the instruments God used in the process. They are precious gifts to my life! The beautiful sister on the left in the photo recently went home to our Savior. She is face to face with Jesus. We miss her so much, and look forward to the time when we will join her in glory. She was filled with the love of the Lord and it bubbled over with a joy that blessed everyone around her. She didn’t wear a mask; she wore the love of Jesus.
I pray that you know the blessing of living without your mask. You have been set free! Free to wear the love of Jesus!