Have you ever seen something online that made you question humanity? Maybe a hateful comment that seemed really hurtful and out of place or a joke that went way too far?... I’m willing to bet that if you are reading this post you have access to the internet, so the answer is probably yes. Sometimes the internet can feel like millions of people hiding behind their computer screens judging people they have never met or laughing at other people’s misfortunes, and I’m willing to bet I’m not alone in feeling this way. I’m also willing to bet I’m not the only one that has been guilty of this before. Whether or not you’re nodding your head right now, this talk is still for you, because this is just a small example of a problem that we all struggle with to some extent: Wearing a mask.
Wearing a mask doesn’t just look like hiding behind ambiguity online. When someone physically puts on a mask, they are concealing their face from the people around them. In the same way, we wear a mask spiritually when we harden our hearts and refuse to let ourselves be vulnerable with others We put on this mask out of a fear of being hurt or hurting someone else, a lack of self-worth, or an innate jealousy. This looks like gossiping about others, lying, avoiding productive confrontation, and even something as simple as telling your friends you’re ok when you’re anything but. We all have parts of us that we aren’t very proud of. Our natural instinct is to hide them away and pretend that everything is alright, but the only true freedom we can find is to bring them to the light and let the situation glorify God.
To understand why we are called to live an open, vulnerable life, we need to understand what the Bible says about it. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand and give light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” There are two main ideas I want to take from this passage: We are the light of the world and there isn’t a part we need to hide.
Let’s look at the first point: We are a light. Generally you don’t buy a lightbulb to look at it. Instead, you buy a lightbulb to look at everything else in the room. In the same way, our calling to be a light means that we don’t point to ourselves. We are to point to God and the things above. Now imagine a lightbulb stopped shining because it didn’t like a crack on the outside of its glass. If we are worried enough about being vulnerable that we hide ourselves away, we take away our ability to shine a light on the things that matter. It becomes more about protecting yourself than glorifying God.
The second point of the passage is this: that there isn’t a part that we need to hide. In 1 John 1:9, we are called to confess sin among us so that we may be forgiven and purified from all righteousness. Right before that, 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves”. No matter how holy we try to be, we will never achieve the perfect standard God requires. We must be fully dependent on Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation. Because of this dependence, we have the freedom to open up to each other about our sins without condemnation, so that we may grow together in faith.
Community is highly stressed in the Bible. Part of that is being willing to let others love you in times of hurt and sin. We want to love people in their times of need, so how can we refuse them the right to love us when we are in need? We aren’t called to carry the burden of sin by ourselves or else we would be crushed by it.
So, bring your pains to God and friends. Let them love you in a way that is trusting that God is sovereign and that your hurts don’t define you. Sometimes it may not feel like it, but there will always be people that care about you and love you enough that they want to work with you through each other’s iniquities. Go forth today thinking: “Where can I put down my mask and love and be loved well?”
Zachary Goraum is a junior at Florida State University studying physics and materials. He’s an enneagram 3 wing 2 and an ENTP on the Myers Briggs. He currently enjoys faithfully leading the upperclassman Bible study for the Navigators. He also is involved in the Society of Physics students, Beach Volleyball Club, and Condensed Matter Research at the Mag Lab. He’s passionate about disc golf, volleyball, percussion, intentionality, and new experiences. His career aspirations involve anything that lets him learn more every day and glorify God.