I have a secret stash of masks that
I keep handy for all those times when, for a variety of reasons that you will
soon know, I am feeling particularly prideful. Yep, that's right. Prideful. (Sigh.) My assortment of masks does a
nice job of concealing the truth that lies beneath them. So I slap them on as
needed.
When life decisions, large or
small, need to be made, pride would have me say, “It’s my decision. It’s my
life. I’ll live it however I want to.” That’s when I slap on my In–Charge Mask. Sporting this mask, I
try to convince myself and others that I can take the driver’s seat, make all
my own decisions, and operate under my own power regarding everything from
relationships to finances, from my career plans to my moral and ethical
choices. Oh, and by the way, when I am wearing this mask, pride has me believe
that I am never wrong. After all, a go-to gal like me, in charge of her own
life, could never make a mistake. Right?
On other occasions, when a loved
one or a trusted friend asks, “How have you been, Deb?”, instead of revealing
the truth (which might sound something like, “I’ve been struggling lately”), I
slap on my I’m-Fine Mask. You know,
the one that gives the impression that everything is just great. “Couldn’t be
better.” Why? The difficult truth stares me in the face (under that mask, of
course): Pride. Again. Oh, sure, I can justify my answer: “Oh, I don’t want to
bother them. They have enough worries of their own.” The truth is, though, that
I don’t want them to see me in my weakness. Yep, that is a pride issue. To
admit that I am struggling with something—anything—is to admit
weakness, dependency on others, or the need for help. And I don’t need help.
Right? I can do it all on my own.
In similar situations, I want to
have all the answers—at church, at school, at home. As an example, when
attending a Bible study, I want to give the right answers, should someone ask.
So I slap on the Answer Mask, the
one that lets everyone think that I am super knowledgeable, that they need only
look to me for a quick answer. Ouch. Does pride keep me from learning from and
listening to others? And does it inhibit others from answering or sharing?
Could it even keep me from attending Bible study or another learning
opportunity because I don’t want to reveal my lack of understanding or
inability to answer? Maybe.
What mask should I wear for those
times when I drive by another car and think proudly, “Look at that old jalopy;
mine is nicer than theirs”? Or when I stare at someone’s lack of fashion sense
or poor hygiene, their addictive habits or embarrassing behaviors, and say
smugly under my breath, “Well, at least I’m not that bad”? For these
proud moments, there is the ever-popular Better-Than-You
Mask. Because I am just a bit better. Aren’t I?
Every mask attempts to conceal some
important truths — and they are more than a bit humbling:
• I am not in charge of my
own life, and I do make mistakes.
• I am weak, and I could use some
help.
• I don’t have all the answers.
• I am no better than the next
person.
Jesus
Steps In
The truth is that God is the Lord
of our lives, and we are not. In our sinful pride, we fail to follow His
leading. We put our trust in ourselves instead of in Him. We think we know
better than He does. On our own, we are stuck in our selfish sins. It is only
by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that we can confess our sins of
pride and ask Him to show us where and when we are too full of ourselves. With
repentant hearts, we surrender our pride, yield our lives to His lordship, and
humble ourselves before our God. In His limitless mercy, He washes us clean in
Christ, covering these countless sins with His pure and perfect forgiveness. Because
Jesus steps in, it is possible for us
to step out of our pride, to lay
aside the masks that caused us to try to conceal the truth from ourselves.
Humility begins as He enables me to
recognize my proper place in relation to my Maker. No longer do I trust in my
ways and my desires, but in His. Humility does not selfishly ask, “What do I
want to do today?” but “Lord, what would You have me do today?” and then seeks
His Word and follows His lead. Humility is putting God in His proper place as
Lord of my life, and me in my proper place at His feet. Good-bye, In-Charge Mask!
“For
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the
Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than
your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
As the Lord enables me to recognize
my helplessness and accept my weaknesses, I learn reliance on His power and on
others’ help. It is humbly freeing to admit to another Christian, “I am
struggling and would like your prayers.” Farewell,
I’m-Fine Mask!
“But He said to me,
‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
My Savior helps me to accept a
position of humility, where I listen and learn from others. He gives me an
appropriate perspective in which I can say things such as, “I don’t have it all
together, but I trust the One who does.” And, “I don’t know the answer to that,
but I will try to find out from someone who does know, and then I will get back
to you.” Adios, Answer Mask!
“To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and a word in season, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:23).
God gives me eyes to see His other
children as He sees them: loved and valuable and—just like me—in need of a Savior.
He enables me to stop judging them in my pride and start loving them by His
grace. Bye, bye, Better-Than-You Mask!
“For by the grace given to me I say to
everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that
God has assigned” (Romans 12:3).
Thank you, Jesus!
From Stepping Out by Deb Burma © 2013 CPH. Reprinted with permission
