Masks

Tonight, being Halloween, kids all over the U.S. will put on costumes and masks in a trek to obtain as much candy as possible from friends, neighbors, and strangers. Some will play the part of the character they are dressed up as. Others will merely endure the costume for the sake of the candy they will receive. Most will never wear the costume again. After the sugar buzz wears off, it’s back to normal life.

While we may not dress up in costumes, I wonder how often people wear “masks” to church. As a pastor, I shake a lot of hands and have a lot of people tell me that they are doing “well” or “fine.” Sometimes, that is the truth. Other times, I know that this is just a pat answer covering up the struggles they are facing. On occasion, I will change the question a bit and re-ask, “How are you really doing?” This tends to catch people by surprise, and sometimes, the second answer is quite different than the first.

I think that we all have had times when we wished that someone would pray with us or offer a word of encouragement, but when asked how we are doing, we were not transparent enough to tell people how we really felt. It’s like we’re wearing a mask … making people think that everything is fine, when it really isn’t. Sometimes, we don’t have the time or the emotional strength to explain, but still, we should be able to answer honestly and admit that we could use some prayer.

My challenge for today is to take the “mask” off. If someone asks how you are doing, give them an honest answer. The person that asked the question might be surprised at your honest answer, but I think the transparency will benefit both parties. If you’re the one asking how someone is doing, look them in the eyes … you may see a different answer than you hear. If the person needs prayer, take the time to do it right then. If they really are doing well, tell them that you’re glad to hear that. Either way, it may just be exactly what that person needed to hear that day.

In His grip,
Pastor Decker