If you are like most people, you are still carrying the scars of a wound that was inflicted by someone through the pain of abuse or desertion, for example, or the agony of betrayal by someone you loved and trusted. The wound wasn’t fair or right; you didn’t deserve it or ask for it, yet it happened. It may have scarred you physically, emotionally, or spiritually, or perhaps all three. Perhaps it has affected your relationships with other people and your ability to trust others. You may even be living in fear that it is going t...
Why do people wear masks, even among believers? Because they are afraid that if they unmask themselves and reveal who they really are, others will critique and criticize them. We all want to be loved, appreciated, and valued. There’s nothing wrong with that. But we are all like the moon; we have a dark side, and so we often feel like we have to wear a mask in order for people to love us. But when we do that, we have fallen into the trap of playing the hypocrite.
The beautiful thing about giving yourself in full surrender to God (Romans 12:1-2) is that you also give yourself the great gift of discovering all that God created and redeemed you to be (verse 3). God wants to do a “big give” Himself. He wants to give you…you, your true self-identity! But He can’t give you you until you give Him you. So if He can’t have you, then you can’t have you. You may need to read this paragraph a couple of times to get the flow of thought and let the truth of it sink in, but it’s worth it.
The story is told of a missionary working with a tribe deep in the jungle who hung a mirror on a tree so the people could see themselves fully and clearly for the first time. The first native to use the mirror was a woman who ripped the mirror off the tree, slammed it to the ground, and destroyed it when she saw what she really looked like.
The apostle Peter certainly knew what picture to grab onto when he wanted to urge believers to long for God’s Word. In 1 Peter 2:2, we read these familiar words: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”