The Woman Behind the Mask

   Halloween: a time of costumes, scary decorations, and sugary coated sweets. Why do people like Halloween so much? Children would probably say because of free candy. They may even say because they get to dress up as their favorite character.
   When I was little I liked Halloween because of the candy. But, as I grew up, I still liked the candy 😊. However, it became more about the costume for me. Seems odd that a 5th grader would have liked dressing up but I have a reason.
   Some of you may know that I like acting. I like bringing made up characters to life. I like to make situations and stories real for the audience. I also liked being something/someone that was not me.
   See, we know ourselves better than anyone else in this world. We know our good qualities, talents, and likes; but we also know our bad qualities, problems, and downfalls. I know that I'm not always the most patient person, I could be a little more compassionate at times, and that I don't know everything I want to know (because I'm still growing).
   When I was acting I wasn't myself. Sure my character may have had downfalls, but that wasn't my problem. I just loved the fact that I could be as crazy as I wanted to and it didn't matter because everyone in the audience would know I was acting. Those judgements that people would have casted on that character didn't matter because it wasn't me.
   During Halloween I can pick any character I want to be, act like that character, and not have anyone think I'm nuts. But, when the candy's all gone, the costumes are put away, and the decorations are taken down my mask is taken off as well. When that happened I had a tendency to go back to caring what others thought about me because I was myself.
   As I grew older, I realized that it doesn't matter what others think about me. It just matters what Jesus thinks of me. He is the one who is able to bring me peace. He is the one who loves me already. He loves me no matter what I do or what I say. Does he get upset when I don't follow him? Yes, but he still cares about me and is willing to forgive me when I fail.
   With God, we don't need masks. We don't need to be anyone but ourselves. Isn't that how we should act with others? We should want to be with people who accept us no matter what. We should want to be with people who love and forgive us when we fail.
   I encourage you to take off any masks you may be wearing right now. I know it's fun to pretend to be someone you are not. But, I guarantee you that people respond to those who are real with them more than fake people. Will you get hurt if you take off your mask? Probably, but you know that you have opened yourself up to make an impact on others. That is what we are called to do: spread the gospel and reflect God's glory.

   Romans 12:2, Psalm 139:14-16, Romans 8:35-39