Tired of wearing a mask yet?

No, not that mask … the mask you were probably wearing long before a few years ago.

The mask that felt protective but really you were just hiding behind.

We all wear them.

A mask of confidence when we are feeling more unsure than ever.

A mask of joy when we are feeling deeply sad.

A mask of accomplishment when we feel like a failure.

A mask of feeling worthy when we don’t feel we have any value.

A mask that everything is ok when you’re world is falling apart.

A mask of love when you don’t feel love at all.

What mask do you reach for and put on first?

In the past couple of years I have noticed how often I walk by someone when I have a health mask on and I smile big at them … only to realize they have no idea that I just smiled.

A disconnect.

They don’t know my true intentions our my real feelings.

For many years before that I wore the mask that I was ok.  Things were ok.  My marriage was ok.

The reality is that I was dying inside and barely holding on.

I was trying so hard to keep the lid on and stop everything from exploding.

I was enabling thinking I could be the strength and change.

The disconnect.

The mask I chose to put on each morning gave the impression of protection but it really was just covering up and hiding what was going on inside.

It only lasts so long, and then the mask gets holes in it.  It wears down.  It becomes ineffective.

Do you feel like your masks aren’t working so well anymore?

Is it time to take your mask off?

Just like our covid masks that we took off as soon as we got in the car or outside, our personal masks need to come and so we can live authentically and with purpose.

Some masks are much harder to remove than others, and some can take a long time to take off. 

The first step? 

Realizing you even have a mask on.

It took me awhile, I had some great denial going on.

Next step? 

Find a great friend or two that you can be completely honest with.  If you have been through any kind of betrayal, abuse, or trauma, or you have been wearing your mask for an extended period of time it will take a third person to help you slowly peel it off.

I needed that third person to help me see through clear eyes instead of the filtered ones I was using.

The more I peeled off the clearer I saw how stuck I had been and that the mask was not actually protecting me, but hiding me.

I know you will feel it too, and if you need help, I am here.

It’s time to remove your mask.

Feel the air and begin to see that you were made on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose.