Anyone over 40 years old remembers The Lone Ranger and his famous mask. How I wanted him to take that mask off so I could see his face, but he never did. His identity remained a mystery, and whenever he rescued someone or did something amazing, the question always was, Who IS that masked man?
That was 50 years ago. Fast-forward to 2020, and we’re all wearing masks, not just one lone hero. Our masks cover the lower face, not the eyes, as The Lone Ranger’s did. The purpose of the 2020 masks are to protect ourselves and others from a dangerous virus, Covid-19. But masks, for the most part, are intended to disguise our identity, or to fool people.
I confess… I Trick-or-Treated. I wore costumes and masks and devoured every piece of candy and home-baked cookie in my treat bag. And, yes, back in the Dark Ages, cookies were only laced with chocolate chips or raisins, not razor blades or heroin, so it truly was all good. Masks were such fun disguises, until you sneezed or coughed in them, or worse, had ice crystals form as the October temperatures dropped and our noses started running. Gross! Pretending to be someone I was not proved to be great fun, but inevitably, if I wanted a treat, the mask had to come off—gross ice crystals or not.
As adults, the many “masks” we wear to fool others don’t fool the Lord, for the Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive (Proverbs 20:27 NLT). When we put on a false front of humility or godliness to impress others, but harbor deceit and ill feelings inside, there is One who knows what is behind our mask. The Lord loves us so much that He made us in His image, to be free to enjoy the many privileges and blessings of being his sons and daughters. He loves us with an unconditional love, so no matter what sin or character flaw hides behind our mask, His forgiveness, grace, and love cover us. We can take our masks off with our Father. He knows who we really are and loves us regardless. Take off your mask, let the Father see you, and enjoy the “treat” He has for you—acceptance, love, forgiveness, peace, joy, healing, deliverance, life.
© 2020, Chris Werre