The Masks We Wear
Let’s get real for a moment. We all put on a good face and a good show for the world. We want everyone to think our lives are perfect but in reality, no one has a perfect life and if we think we do we are fooling ourselves. Let’s get real. We all post the best of ourselves on Facebook. It’s a fallacy, it’s phony and fake. Why do we feel the need to make our lives look perfect and like we never have any problems or challenges? Because the reality is that life is hard and we need each other to survive. You know, it is true that we all wear a lot of different masks these days. Our masks are our protection from a not so nice and unaccepting world. They become a barrier between yourself and others. You meet someone on the street, or at the market or even at church and they ask you how you are doing. You put on your smile, say fine and ask them the same thing and they put on their smile and say fine and then you both go your separate ways feeling miserable.
We are afraid of being judged by others or criticized, we may feel insecure as if we don’t measure up to others. The only people we have to measure up to is ourselves, our Creator. If we live with honesty and integrity and we strive to do our best each day that is all we can ask of ourselves and others. If we truly love and care about others, we will seek for the good, the positive and we will build each other up and empower our friends, families, loved one’s co-workers even strangers.
Yet the more we get to know each other, the more masks we take off because we become more accepting of each other and our faults and frailties. This is what love is about. Getting more comfortable with one another and hiding less from each other. But we think, I‘ll never take off that last mask. To let someone see me exactly as I am. We feel if we do that, and then someone doesn’t like me exactly as I am, I’m ruined. I won’t take that risk. So we keep playing our games and putting on the masks because we are afraid to tell others who we are. I think deep down, we all really desire to have that kind of relationship with others, but the fear of rejection or judgment keeps us from doing that. We are afraid to become transparent and vulnerable because as soon as we let our guard down, we might be hurt. The risk seems too great.
We must realize that we need to take off some of our masks and be more transparent with one another. How else will we learn to trust one another? How do we build our relationships with one another if we don’t let our guards down? It can only be done by taking the masks off and begin to reveal more of who we are. No matter how many masks you wear, realize, that God has seen behind them. He knows you exactly as you are and He still loves you regardless
Foster self-love
We can be our own harshest critic, and it’s natural to be competitive and self-conscious. We tend to compare ourselves to others no matter how hard we try not to. We do care about what others think, and it would be a shame to ignore this human quality that most of us share. Instead, we can pay attention to the language we use when it comes to ourselves. How do you talk about your weight and appearance? In what ways do you model your own comfort with who you are?
Do you ever stop to talk about your strengths or the goals you are proud of achieving? Modeling self-love in our own lives can greatly benefit our children as we teach them to be kind and compassionate toward themselves. I challenge you to take out a piece of paper and fill it from top to bottom with all of your good qualities if you can think of any then ask others and they will point out qualities in your that you may not even have realized your exhibit. Next, take out another sheet of paper and write a gratitude list of all the things that are good and great in your life and you will find more joy and happiness in each day.
