Remove the Mask

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
                                                                                                – James 4:6

 

Don’t let them see you weak or wanting or needing.  We are a society of pride filled people and care more about what our neighbors think than what the Lord thinks.  I’ve often been found guilty of walking into church on Sunday mornings with my smile on, head held high and filled with God’s blessings – or at least I give that impression to those I meet.  I do not dare let them know the truth of what I am going through, the financial hardship, the stress and worries or the fear I have for my children’s salvation.  I put on the “happy mask” for church and pretend that everything is just great.

The word “Proud” is mentioned 47 times in the bible, and not a single instance is it mentioned in a favorable light.  A man’s (or woman’s) pride will give them the illusion that they are better than others, smarter, richer, more spiritual and more holy.  When in essence it is exactly the opposite in the Lord’s eyes.  The thesaurus lists 7 synonyms for the word pride: arrogance, conceit, smugness, self-importance, satisfaction, pleasure, delight.

Which of these speak of righteousness, holiness or glorify the Lord?  None.  The fact that each of us put on masks to hide our true feelings and emotions is an act of pridefulness.  We put on the fake smiles and pretend everything is okay because we don’t want to appear weak or hurting or struggling in life.  We are more concerned about what others will think of us than we are about getting help to solve the problems we are facing.

Humility is the antonym of pride.  It comes with difficulty to most of us throughout our life.  Acknowledging our weakness before another requires a trust in what the other person will do with the information.  The Lord asks that each of us humble ourselves so that we take our eyes off of our haughtiness and focus on Him for help and peace.  You see, the masks we wear in life lead us to believe that we can hide our problems from others, but in most cases we also believe we can hide our problems and unrighteousness from the Lord.  Knowing that God is omniscient though brings one to realize that there is nothing we think, feel, do or say that is not already known by our Creator.

Putting aside the pride that stands between you and God will open up the door of healing and peace to deal with the problems you face.  Take off the masks that you wear and replace them with the humility that comes from trusting and loving the Lord. 

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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