May you never hear me tell you what to do but only where to go. As Steve Brown says, "I am just a beggar telling other beggars where to find bread."



Monday, January 30, 2012

The Masks We Wear

I once had someone tell me that I should "fake it until I make it." I took those words to heart and flung myself into the art of mask wearing only to end up bound to legalism and fear. The Mask of Acceptability was only one of the many masks that I was proud to wear not realizing the implications that it had on the rest of the church body.

Steve Brown, in his wonderfully freeing book A Scandalous Freedom, encourages his readers to take off The Mask of Acceptability.

“When the requirement for acceptance in any particular group is to think certain thoughts, to act in certain ways, and to fit in certain molds-and we don’t think or act that way or fit the mold-we tend to fake it. We put on a mask that says, “I’m just like you. Now, will you please love me and accept me?” I can think of hardly anything that will kill your joy and freedom more than wearing a mask geared to get others to accept you because you are acting like them.
Allow me to let you in on a secret: Nobody fits the mold, and most of us wear the mask to cause others to think we do. The greatest tragedy of the church is that, in many cases, the most dishonest hour of the week is the hour we spend at church."

My friends, let's take off our masks of acceptability, get real and be free in Christ. We are doing a great disservice to ourselves and to one another when we pretend that we are something other than sinful moms who need Jesus and each other. Let's allow each other to be free! [1]


What masks do you see yourself wearing?




[1] Steve Brown A Scandalous Freedom(Howard Books, 2004),108

3 Comments:

Susan Stilwell said...

I think a universal mask is the one of "I have it all together" and It takes a lot of doing to keep that crazy thing pieced together. Plus, it's suffocating.

It's totally liberating to let it fall and be able to breathe. Great post, Kimm :)

Unknown said...

Ironically, the masks we wear to make us fit in and be part of a group end up making us feel even more alone.

When everyone masks their failures we begin to think we are the only one who falls short.

That is a lonely place to be!

A very thoughtful post. Thank you!

Unknown said...

Ironically, the masks we wear to fit in end up making us feel even more alone.

When everyone masks their failures we begin to think we are the only ones who fall short.

That is a lonely place to be!

A very thoughtful post. Thank you!