Everybody is Walking Around With a Mask On

Yesterday at 4:30 p.m. I began the grueling process of putting my makeup on.  Yes, you read that correctly 4:30 p.m!  And yes I said grueling.  Putting on makeup is one of the things that I hate doing most in life.  I would put it in the same category with cleaning the toilets, and mopping the floors.  Yet every single time I leave the house I set aside precious time to transform myself.

When I walked out of the bathroom with my new face on Kylie Jo squealed with pure glee...

"I LOOOOOVE your makeup mommy".

Then "later" that night when I was tucking her into bed she whispered, "Mommy don't take your makeup off tonight, okay?!"

"Why not sweet girl?"

"I just really like your face better with makeup on."

As I walked down the stairs and tucked away the small amount of hurt that she had just inflicted on me; I sat in my chair and pondered her makeup comments.  I agree with my three year old.  My face does look better with makeup on.  That is why I put myself through the torture every time I leave the house.  Unless I'm going to Walmart.  Walmart is just an exception people.  If you're shopping at Brookshires you're missing out on the freedom of sweat pants and no makeup that us Walmart shoppers enjoy.  Anyway...I started thinking about make-up.

We cover up the imperfections, the every day wear and tear, the scars, the circles under our eyes, the pimples.  It's a beautiful mask.  And let's be honest we are ALL walking around with masks on.  Everything is just peachy keen.  We all cover up our struggles, our pasts, our true selves.  We're afraid to let people know who we really are.  Transparency is something that is just foreign to most of us these days.  I know this because whenever you ask someone how they're doing they say fine or good.  These words have been uttered so many times that they have no meaning to them anymore  We are all just putting on a facade and going about our lives never really building close, meaningful relationships with the people God has placed around us.

While we all put our masks on in 2013...Jesus straight up let his disciples follow him around.  Day in and day out they saw exactly who He was.  It doesn't get much more transparent then that.  There are lots of things that I love about Jesus but his transparency is something that just resonates with my soul.  I love transparency.  I love it so much that my teacher self looked up the literal definition and fell in love with some of the synonyms: undisguised, barefaced, explicit, bold, shameless, unconcealed.  Go back and read those words again.  Let them really just soak in as you ponder each one...seriously go back!

BAREFACED.....UNDISGUISED......SHAMELESS.....BOLD.  These words are gorgeous to me.  These words have to define you if you're in the business of making disciples.  Paul was a man who was in that business and I would say that the four words above fit him like a glove.  Paul was constantly letting people see who he really was.  I'll give you one example.  If you want more you can just go on ahead and crack that Bible open!

"For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." - 1 Corinthians 15:9

Paul seriously said that.  He said I am not even worthy to be an apostle.

When I think of the people that I love the most, the people that I have learned the most from, the people that I want to become friends with; they all have something in common and it is that they are transparent.  The mask has been thrown off.  When I sit down with them in my living room we need Kleenex's because we are mourning or rejoicing together.  I know their deepest darkest stories and I love them even more because of that.  I know what God is doing in their life.  I know when they need prayers, food, a shoulder, an ear, or just a good old laugh.  When I ask them how they're doing....fine is just not an answer that they give anymore because they know that I'm not letting them get away with that.

Transparency is such a colossal thing.  It's how you learn to really love people.  When you know what someone has been through and what they're going through it explains all of the reasons they are the way that they are.  So those things about them that annoy you are simply washed away.  You just get them and you love them.

If we are going to really make disciples.  If we are going to 1 Corinthians 13 love people up in here....we're gonna have to take off the masks.  They sure are pretty but honestly they're just getting in the way!