Most of us have seen the commercial where a person is walking through life behind a mask- trying to cover the reality of their life – feeling defeated, broken or useless. Of course, there’s a pill for that. The problem is that pills eventually wear off and you have to take another and another and eventually you wind up down some rabbit hole. Once there, it’s hard to push your way back into the truth of your existence.

I’ve grown up wearing masks of different kinds. I’ve grown old continuing to wear them. I’ve learned how to hide what really is going on in my head and heart, but there are times when the mask has to come off and the reality of life must be faced. Modern social media has become a mask of sorts. We try to put the best face on Facebook. Our photographs on Instagram can give us another source of identity. A failed recipe from Pinterest would never be revealed. We can become reliant on affirmation through these tools, but eventually the truth must come out. I am guilty of showing beautiful flowers from my garden, but I wouldn’t display the piles of underbrush and overgrowth that has invaded our back yard during our current road construction. I show photos of my husband and I taking little road trips in order to make the most of each day, while my heart is overflowing with questions – lack of faith or wisdom and a lot of tears. My house may look like a cute little farmhouse with a great deal of charm, but inside, you’ll find cobwebs, dust, and a place that has been neglected for a long time.

What and who we are does not depend on our outer appearance. If it did, we’d all be doomed. What goes on inside or behind the mask is reality. If we show that side, we can become vulnerable or destined to be hurt. Thankfully, we have a Savior, who became human to live with us, experience every temptation that we do without giving in to sin, and who gave His life so we can experience a perfect reality beyond the grave.

Maybe to some, that sounds like just another mask. The reality is that you can count on this message being truth from God Himself. He doesn’t hide from us. He’s revealed in His Word, the Bible. We can see Him in every corner of our lives, if we allow Him to enter in. When our lives are over, the mask will come off. What will God see? He will only see His Son, Jesus, who paid the ultimate price to give us eternal life.