The Mask

   Think about movies you have seen. In the movie did someone ever act like someone they were not? I can think of so many examples. People act like someone they aren’t for different reasons: to fit in, so they do not get bullied, to protect those they love, and so on.

   At the end of Iron Man 3 he says this quote: “you can take away my suits, you can take away my home, but there’s one thing you can never take away from me: I AM IRON MAN.” Tony Stark’s identity is that he is Iron Man. But in the same movie he says this quote: “my armor was never a distraction or a hobby it was a cocoon, and now I’m a changed man.” He gives up his suits. So yes he is still Iron Man but, he said it himself, his armor was a cocoon. It was a mask he put on. It wasn’t really him.

   We act like different people to please the world. We put up masks to protect ourselves. But then that makes us wonder do people really love us for who we are, or for the masks we put on? We cannot keep on acting like someone we are not. We are called to witness to the lost. People want to know the truth, but they need to see that we are truthful in order for us to be able to witness to them. They need to see the real us or else we will look like all the other people in the world with masks on.

   I have found that being truthful with others helps you connect more to them. Believe me, I used to wear a mask and it was hard for me to connect with anyone on a real level. Now I can see God working through my everyday situations. It is an amazing thing.

   I'm not going to lie to you, at times it will be difficult to be the real you. You may have to show your weaknesses to others. But, most of the time, people will respect you for being real in a world filled with things that are fake. And, if they do not, at least you will have made an impact on them.

   So will you continue to wear a mask, or will you be the real you and make an impact on others?

   2 Corinthians 12:9-10