Recently, I recall attending to patients in the children’s hospital, strolling down an empty hall toward one of the nursing units.  Suddenly, behind me, I hear a child’s voice question an adult, “Why does she walk like that?”  As one who has lived with physical challenges all her life, including a walking impairment, I hear this question quite frequently.  While hearing the responses to this question can sometimes be difficult, I realize I cannot hide this quality about me.  Thus, I am the “real” me and do not believe in wearing masks—whether it be physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

What mask(s) are you wearing today?  What is preventing you from showing your true self?  The French author François Duc de La Rochefoucauld explains, “We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.”  Further, when you allow yourself the freedom of displaying your true identity, you also permit the Lord to completely utilize you for His unique design of your life.  I challenge you, at this time, to follow the example of the phantom in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s opera….courageously remove your “mask” and be the REAL you!