Behind the Mask

I stood in the hallway alone and isolated although surrounded by people. As people neared me, they crossed to the other side of the hallway and passed by (and I'm not even a Samaritan). I smiled as others approached me, but they ignored my smile and hurried on their way. The surgical mask I had to wear to protect a fragile immune system was hot and stuffy, but that discomfort was nothing compared to the isolation and loneliness I felt. Why couldn't people see behind my mask? Why couldn't they see my smile? I felt like a leper, unclean. Had I not been convinced that God wanted me at the conference through His amazing provision and prodding, I would have given up and left. It was God's grace that overcame my introversion and kept me from leaving.

Finally, a few brave people began to talk to me. They immediately asked one question, "Are you contagious?" Their question struck me as I realized they had been avoiding me out of fear. Having a strange sense of humor, I began to introduce myself by saying, "Hi, I'm Myrical, and I'm not contagious." Some chuckled at this introduction. (I should have written on the mask, "It's not me, it's you.") I laughed with them and soon was being included. I praised God for the breakthrough and His mercy to me.

As I began to think about it later, my mind went back to a different kind of mask that had isolated me from others. It was just four months earlier that my Dad was in his final hours. The emotional mask and smile I pasted on hid the pain we were going through. My family had been through seven months of one crisis following another and were completely worn out. It seemed easier to simply paste on a smile than to let people know of the pain and exhaustion. I hid behind that mask.

These experiences caused me to think about other masks that I pass every day. How many around me are hiding behind masks - both obvious and hidden? There are two videos on youtube which demonstrate the masks of those around us (here and here).

How should I respond? I turned to our greatest example. I was reminded of Jesus' reaction to the leper in Luke 5:12-13. Jesus touched him. "12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.[a]And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus[b] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him." Jesus commands us to love others as He loves us. (John 15:12-13) Our love for others will show the world that we love God. (John 13:34-35) 

May my experience behind the masks help me see past masks and love as Christ did!