This Mask Hurts My Face

"This mask hurts my face" I mumbled, almost unintelligibly through the absurdly small mouth hole cut horizontally in the cheap plastic mask. The mask which was strapped firmly and tightly to my face and held somewhat (emphasis on somewhat) in place by a thin white elastic band that wrapped around the back of my head, pulling painfully on my hair in the process. I asked my cousins if this was something I was battling alone or if their costumes were as poorly manufactured as mine.
Had I lost some kind of bet I was unaware of? Was this my mom's punishment for me acting a fool again at school? At the risk of sounding like someone's disgruntled grandfather, kids now a days have no idea the torture and torment that was involved in wearing a 1980's Halloween costume. Can I get an amen from all 30 something's? It was all for the candy though. Man I loved that candy. I know that comes as a surprise to those of you that know me personally. I'm normally such a healthy eater. 

Perhaps it was HeMan, maybe a GI Joe costume, I really can't remember. My 80's cartoons run together and I think my mental defense mechanism has blocked the full memory of the experience in order to preserve some brain cells for my three kids to later destroy. Suffice it to say, the costume was a pain in the...face. (Update, I found the photo above after posting. It was in fact HeMan. Also note, I had ditched the mask.)
Everyone was doing it though. It was the normal and cool thing to do and I fell right in line. You want the candy, you wear the mask, that's the rule. To walk around just "being myself" would be boring and you'd catch ridicule from others in the neighborhood. I was trained up in the Halloween game at a young age and I was one heck of a candy collector.
As adults, we've all outgrown our masks. Thank goodness that is over, because wearing masks is for kids, right? Let me answer my own question, as if carrying on an awkward conversation with myself...no, unfortunately, I don't think we've outgrown masks. I fear many of us, myself totally and completely included, are guilty as adults of pulling a mask firmly and tightly over our faces a lot of the time. With our masks that we show others, we become someone else. Probably not a 80's cartoon character, but if you do in fact do that, keep doing you, you know...just maybe keep that one to yourself.
In all seriousness, we often wear a mask daily to become someone we truly aren't. Someone better, someone happier, someone more important, someone others will like. Approval and popularity is our new candy. We think that "just being ourselves" would be boring and we'd catch ridicule from others. Instead we show others a perfect father, the man who is always smiling, he's bold, fearless, and successful. He's got it all together and he's confident. He doesn't show emotions, and he doesn't worry, why would he, look at him. A perfect mother, flawlessly organizing the family social calendar, maintaining a perfect orderly house, while wearing the newest and best wardrobe. She's raising bright and obedient kids standing ready to answer with the appropriate southern response to any request for help, "yes ma'am." Collectively the family takes the perfect vacations and promptly places the destination sticker on the back window of the family SUV or van. Give us the candy.
In full disclosure, I'm afraid our family may be one of the worst offenders. We've been trained up in the look at me game, we've fallen right in line. We post only the positive to Facebook. We speak peace to each other in public. Meanwhile our life can be a mess at times. In the heat of the moment, we speak anger and frustration in private. We want to be liked...we want to get likes. Enough is enough! We owe it to ourselves, to our kids, to each other to shed the masks.
In the bible, certain religious leaders were often the biggest hypocrites there were. They ridiculed Jesus for the company he kept. Why would he associate with tax collectors, simple fishermen, sinners, and the lowly of the low. From behind their plastic masks of perfection, they hid their own sin and unworthiness. In Luke chapter 18, we learn about a Pharisee (A strictly "set apart" or "separate" group of devout believers) standing near a tax collector and praying to God essentially thanking God that he was "not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector." Meanwhile the tax collector too ashamed and humble to even look toward heaven, he begged God to have mercy on him, "a sinner." The tax collector wasn't wearing a mask. He was honest, and he was raw. He was a man seeking the approval of God not others.
When we wear masks, we are only masking who God created us to be. We are called instead to be uniquely us. I've heard it said how amazing it is that the God that created the beauty and wonder of this world thought the world needed one of you too. How cool is that? So, let's share our hearts and our hurt. Let's shed the masks and be ourselves. I'm going to try to, because this mask hurts my face.
Much love, Adam