Life calls for us to wear many different hats throughout the day. And certainly, at our best, there’s a true part of ourselves reflected in each of these roles. At the same time, we can get so attached to playing a part that we forget there’s more to us behind the various masks we wear.
To be sure, we often hide behind our masks – showing others only what we think they want to see from us. And many times, this is disconnected from the reality of our inner world.
For instance, this is when we pretend everything is okay when it’s anything but okay. We wear the mask that says we have it all together, while we’re dying inside.
And perhaps there is some wisdom here as everyone is not safe to share the vulnerable parts of our story with. But the problem comes when we get so attached to the mask of “being okay” that we fail to take care of the true state of our souls.
It’s one thing to wear clothes in public or to protect ourselves from the elements. But showers generally work best in the nude. And, at some point, we must strip and bare our naked souls – at the very least with ourselves before God, and likely to our trusted others as well.
Its only behind our masks that we can be fully seen and cared for. And this also becomes our path of growth. We cannot grow and have the impact we desire when significant parts of ourselves remain hidden.
Of course, we must still play the parts required of us. And this often means wearing a mask or two as needed. But we must not forget there’s more to us behind the mask.
In the end, wear the mask appropriate for each occasion. And remember there’s more to you than these presentations. Allow yourself to be fully seen from time to time as well.
Photo by Tamara Gak on Unsplash
