When Masks Become Our Reality
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Children and make-believe
WE HAD (and still have) a giant wooden box full of masks, hats, and various costume paraphernalia that our children all but wore out before they hit middle school age.
When playing ‘dress up,’ our son usually had a single focus. He’d decide on one character and pretend to be that for a day.
Our eclectic daughter, on the other hand, had a multiple-personality approach to playing dress up.
ON OCCASION, during the school year, I would give them a lesson assignment, and then run an errand. More often than not, I returned to discover they had videotaped their antics—in full costume.
(O the joys of homeschooling. Btw- schoolwork did get done.)
It’s not a wonder that my son ended up graduating with a film degree, nor am I surprised that my grown daughter now dresses in eclectic “fashion.”
BY BEDTIME, I always reclaimed my son and daughter, reminding them with hugs and kisses who they really were despite how many masks they wore during the day. “You ARE my precious beloved children.”
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If you’re like me, you hit adulthood and your mask became more sophisticated and perhaps took on an authentic feel. Trauma and various life events can rattle my sense of identity.
<>At the end of the day, however, the truth still stands:
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My spiritual DNA already determined who I am
Not the trauma I’ve experienced.
Not my upbringing.
Not the world’s view of me.
My spiritual DNA, implanted by the Creator God Himself
cannot change
Is there a traumatic moment in your life that you’ve allowed to distort your true identity? Did a school bully shame you into thinking you’re ugly? Are you convinced you’re worthless because of an incident of molestation? Maybe the world is telling you you have nothing to offer society because you don’t have a higher education.
Lies. All of them.
“Jesus Christ came to reclaim us as sons and daughters and bring a realization of who we are despite how we’ve been raised on earth.” (B. Hamp, Psychologist)
To reclaim: to demand the return or restoration of, as a right possession; to regain, restore, or recover
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I AM His to begin with, but I can get so locked up in how the world defines me that receiving this truth requires a total shift in thinking.
I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me [trusts in and relies on Me] may not continue to live in darkness.
John 12:46 (Emphasis mine)
(Implication: mankind is born into a state of darkness; into a misunderstanding of truth)
God sent Jesus into the world so He could adopt me as his own child. I am now free from living enslaved to laws or trauma or to my earthly environment. I am God’s own child (made in His perfect image).
Gal 4:5-7 (J.A. paraphrase)
(Implication: I cannot perceive my enslavement to laws and environment unless the Holy Spirit brings a revelation of Jesus Christ)
Who do I believe? The trauma or the One who’s able to raise me out of its darkness?
Which ever one I believe, THAT is who will ‘own’ me . . . and make me who I am.
Lord, I agree with You. I am all You say I am. Listen
Give us a renewed understanding of Jesus Christ. Today.
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The way of the Embattled Spirit
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6 Comments
Excellent – far too many people have no idea who they are.
I agree, DiAnn. Thanks for dropping in.
Thank you for this powerful message. In church especially, it seems like we hide behind masks for fear of what others will believe about us “if they only knew.” Love your reminder about, as you call it, our spiritual DNA. I’ll carry this message with me.
We see it too often.
Good seeing you here, Ann
This is an excellent message. One particular line: “Maybe the world is telling you you have nothing to offer society because you don’t …” applies to society in general today about almost everything, not just higher education. Looks, income, material possessions, religion, political stance, even clothing labels. Sigh.
It breaks my heart to hear, unfortunately on a regular basis these days, people say other people are worthless. Or to learn (or experience) broken relationships because someone didn’t measure up to the world’s standards.
Keep us thinking, J.A. Love you!
I agree, Tracy. I wish there was space and time to hit every area. Luv U 2.