At some point or other, we all wear masks. We might don a disguise in order to appear stronger or more capable than we feel. We might put on our humor so that people won’t see our pain. We might even paste a smile on our face, hoping that no one will notice our mess.
Like Moses, we want to hide what’s fading (Exodus 34:33-34; 2 Corinthians 3:13).
Like the Pharisees, we want to conceal our filthy insides (Matthew 23:25-26).
Like Eve, we want to cover our shame (Genesis 3:6-10).
Yet, that’s not what Jesus wants for us. It’s not what He lived, suffered, and died for.
Everything He accomplished was meant to bring us out from behind all the facades and into our True Selves. So when we don’t live from the truth that we are new creations in Christ, we walk through life covered in old clothes that reek of fear and pride. We wear masks that tell the world we’re fine. All the while, we’re shriveling on the inside.
Masks
In the days of Greek theater, actors wore large masks to indicate their part in the play – stage players called hypokrites. Hypocrites. Interpreters from underneath. Role players. People who present themselves one way on the outside yet are completely different on the inside. Pretenders.
Like the ancient actors, we can perform for the world with our false selves forward. Like the characters at the masquerade ball in Phantom of the Opera, we can wear painted-on-faces because we think that’s what we’re meant to do:
Masquerade, paper faces on parade
Masquerade, hide your face so the world will never find you
Masquerade, every face a different shade
Masquerade, look around there’s another mask behind you1
We can put great effort into hiding our True Selves from anyone who looks at us in an attempt to avoid disapproving naysayers, disappointing those we love, and the devastating pain of rejection and loss. Masks attempt to cloak the darkness within.
- Think of the celebrities we watch and root for and are enamored by – those who seem to have hit the pinnacle of life, only to take their own.
- Think of the couple whose marriage we envied or hoped for – only to discover the lie portrayed when they announced divorce.
- Think of the pastor or leader who put their false-face of excellence and high expectations – all the while failing to live by the same standards.
There’s no condemnation in Christ, nor is there here. These are merely a sampling of the ways we all wear masks, putting on performances to please others. To avoid shame. To hide the fact that we don’t know who we are – that is, until we live as new creations in Christ.
Out of Darkness
John opens his gospel describing Jesus as light – the Light…of creation, of truth, of life. Just as God spoke light over darkness in the chaos of pre-creation, where “The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness, and the darkness couldn’t put it out,” Jesus is the Light sent to free us from the disorder of darkness (John 1:4-5 MSG). His Life-Light casts out all darkness, exposing what’s been hidden in the shadows. It gives. us. life. New life (John 8:12). New creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The world we live in embroils itself in chaos, shrouding itself in shadowy gloom (Isaiah 60:2). The light God shines into the world causes unbelieving men and women everywhere to run for the cover of darkness, hidden, desperate to keep their truth from being exposed (John 3:19-21 MSG). Even for those of us who love Jesus, who long to live like Him and for Him, some of that darkness can seep into our souls – like lies that tell us to hide or fears that cause us to run or numb or pretend. The masks glued to our outsides trap us in our false lives, the shame of which either makes us feel like imposters or posers.
Our identities as children of the Most High King are under attack from every side. We doubt who we are. We battle lies that swirl in the chaos of the world and our minds. We worry we’re too lost for such light…
But it’s not too late for the light of truth. Because as followers of Jesus, we are children of light (Ephesians 5:8-9).
My friends, hear Jesus – there is still time to put our trust in the Light (John 12:36). We don’t have to remain in the dark because He has come as a light (v.46). He rescued us from the dominion of darkness to be His holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-13).
In the power of Christ, we can reach a hand up and pull the masks off. We can step into God’s marvelous light – and into the truth that we are new creations in Christ!
The old is gone; the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Coming out of darkness looks like losing our masks and finding our True Selves – the old life is over and a new life emerges. “As a new creation in Christ, we have a new identity and new motivation.”2 With Christ, we no longer allow the past to define our present or future because we’re made new – a new life united with Christ, hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). In other words, the only hiding we’re meant to do is in Christ. One with Him…heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Into the Light
One way to guard our hearts and minds from what threatens our identities is to pay attention to our impulses that tell us to hide behind a false portrayal of who we actually are. For instance, if we have the compulsion to put on our Perfect-Polly mask for more attention or applause, let’s pause and pray. Let’s confess our hidden agendas and remove the masks of performance and perfectionism.
If we catch ourselves telling more lies to cover our mistakes or if we observe ourselves avoiding people as a way to hide our fear or shame, it’s time to bow low before our Father in Heaven and repent. Let’s bring it all into His loving, life-giving light and take-off the not-so-sincere-smiles.
If we discover that we just aren’t sure who we are anymore, then we reach for the Light – because in the glorious goodness of the light of Christ, everything is exposed. All the shadows are cast away, and who we are in Christ takes shape. Our deeper selves. Our truer selves. The selves that root deeply in Christ’s love and release all false pretense by embracing our actual need and befriending humility.3
When we name our need – that soul-hole that drives us toward people-pleasing and performance and self-protection – we’re choosing to “look to Jesus for answers rather than retreating into old patterns.”3 When we name our need, we’re embracing humility – that “disappearance of self in the vision that God is all” (Andrew Murray).3 When we trust Jesus with all that we are, we are humbly stepping into His light and allowing it to reveal our deepest desires, and that puts the spotlight on the One we’re meant to focus on.
Identifying the longings that drive our actions sheds light on our innermost need of all, Jesus Christ. And, surrendering ourselves to Him opens our hearts with a humility that always leads us into authentic worship of the One who calls Himself the Light of the World (John 8:12).3
Friends, Jesus gave His life so we might have life – life eternal and life abundant now. Abundant living doesn’t happen hiding behind masks. That’s why Jesus extends His invitation for us to become His new creation each and every day so that we might continue to lay down our false selves, so that we will step into the world full of light and life as our True Selves. No more hiding. No more masquerading. When we let the masks come off, we emerge like butterflies from cocoons, as new creations.
No more shriveling behind masks, my friends, for we are children of light who are full of life!
Father God, we confess how often we put the spotlight on ourselves rather than You. We repent. We choose, in this moment, to turn from our old patterns of deception and disguise. We bow before You and name each mask that we wear (Superwoman, Comedian, Perfect Person, Martyr, Victim, Hero…) and we lay them at your feet. We seek your forgiveness and grace because we recognize that these masks don’t hide anything from You. You know everything. You see all. And You love us as much as ever. Lord Jesus, the Light of the World, as we lay down the masks of our false selves, we put on humility. We humbly step out of darkness and into your marvelous light, asking that You would do your revealing work. Enlighten us with our soul-needs that source our broken attempts at living life as we think we should. We ask for your kindness to lead us out of the darkness that holds us captive to lies and for your power to move us out of old beliefs and into the light of truth. We know You can do this because darkness is never dark to You. Holy Spirit, we are so grateful to have You as our Guide and Counselor. With each revelation that Christ’s light brings, we ask that You would lead us in the way of saving grace – the sanctifying grace that shapes us and makes us new. With your help we long to step out of our old ways of living – to put off the old self and put on the new self. Because we are new creations. We are children of light! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
(Inspired by 1 John 1:9; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 139:1-12; John 8:12; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 2:9; John 16:13; Romans 8:14; Hebrews 10:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 5:8-9)
Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.
- 1 – Here’s the “Masquerade” scene from Phantom of the Opera. Listen for the lyrics – they’re very telling!
- 2 – Jennie Allen, Get Out of Your Head,^ p.114
- 3 – Paige Allen, He Knows Your Name;^ also note p.158, “In order to get our love back, I think we need to expose four attitudes we’ve settled for along the way: cynicism, false responsibility, fear of man, and indifference.” She spends some time in that chapter unpacking each of these four attitudes. Here are summaries: “Cynicism comes from a place of knowing too much. You see, cynical women were once women who loved too much.” (in other words they hide because of pain) “False responsibility keeps extravagant love at bay as it ignores need and focuses instead on whatever task is at hand. also remembers how true love demands giving up control, and it chooses instead a rhythm of hustle, a cadence of working harder and faster to forget the gnawing desire inside for something more. A woman weighed down by false responsibility holds tightly to both pride and anxiety, believing that if she actually stops at His feet to show some love, the world she has carefully constructed might tumble to the ground.” “Indifference and fear of man are two sides of the same coin. One acts as if it doesn’t care what anyone thinks, while the other jumps through hoops to gain approval from everyone. It is exhausting to remain uninterested, and it is confusing to swap out masks like lipstick when we need to perform for a new crowd. And yet, we believe that these ways are easier and therefore cling to these performances to protect our hearts from impending disappointment.” (emphasis mine) Here’s the kicker: “The center of all four of these attitudes is self. They are designed for self-protection.” And the truth: “We were not created to fit in with the crowd or do everything by the book. We were created to be women who make scenes. We were created to be women who see—who see Jesus and His desire for praise. We were created to be women who see people. …We were created to be women who take shaky steps toward Jesus, who bend down and enter into His suffering. We were created to wash His feet and linger in His presence.” So good…
- Other resources that highly influenced this post (and my life):
- Jenna Marie Masters’ devotion, “It’s In the Stretch,” printed in The Devoted Collective book, Reading Through Luke, Day Ten
- Gretchen Saffles’ Bible study, Redefined: A Bible Study on Identity in Christ
- Our Hidden Identities playlist has some gems tucked into all the tunes we’ve been focused on thus far. These songs may not sound as much like worship songs, but maybe they can be our anthems of TRUTH — because they remind us of who we are in Christ. Let me hear you sing ’em loud over your life:
- Mandisa’s “The Definition of Me” says, “everybody’s got an opinion of what they want me to be, I want the truth I believe to be the definition of me”
- Charity Gayle’s “New Name Written Down in Glory” says, “I was lost in shame, until He called my name, I’m a new creation in Christ, I’ve got the victory”
- Lincoln Brewster’s “Made New” says, “You’re making me whole, I’m made new, You remind me who I am”
- Last week the most recent edition of The Abiding Life newsletter hit inboxes — and it was full of Italy insights…and pictures! If you’d like a copy, let me know. You can subscribe here if you’d like to receive future issues.
Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike.
- As we lean into the process of learning more about ourselves — our true identities in Christ — we are going to step into the spiritual practice of REST. Wearing masks, putting our false selves forward, pretending to be who we are not — these exhaust us.
Have you ever attended a theatrical performance where one actor plays all roles? I’m not a great memorizer, so I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to have to know every single line of the entire play. And yet, haven’t I done that in my own life when I’ve worn multiple masks just to keep up appearances or to keep everyone ‘happy’? EXHAUSTING.
However, when I get honest with myself and God and lay down the masks that I’ve been wearing, relief floods my body, mind, and soul. It’s like the mask had been weighing heavily on my chest, and I couldn’t take full breaths. It’s like the mask had been seared onto my brain stimulating thoughts that kept me awake all night. But, when I take the mask off, I can breathe. I can rest.
Friends, this week let’s ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what masks we’re wearing — what we hide behind and why — so that we can be our True Selves. So that we can finally rest in our Father as He always intended (Hebrews 4:9-11).
- And while it’s not a spiritual practice or rhythm, I invite you to share this site. This is such an important topic that I want as many people as possible to join us here. Together we’ll find support and encouragement and the simple truth that we are not alone in our struggles.
Featured Photo by Zhen Mogila on Unsplash.
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