Unmasked
I braided Dorothy’s hair, and helped her buckle her ruby slippers. The Wicked Witch demanded layers of green paint to achieve the desired look. She was determined to look “super-mean,” yet she was, quite possibly, the cutest and sweetest witch I’ve ever encountered.
The girls had a ball.
It’s fun to pretend to be someone else, collecting a sack full of goodies along the way. Behind a mask, you can feel brave. In costume, you can — for a time — be someone you’ve always wanted to be.
But when the sun goes down, and the masquerade is gone, and the green paint is scrubbed away, there’s no place like home. There’s nothing like being who you are — a kid who just wants to feel safe in her own skin, loved for who she is, and tucked in by someone who loves her.
No costumes or masquerades. No pretending. No masks.
Before I go to church tomorrow, I want to make sure I’m not wearing a mask either.
Because on my own Yellow Brick Road headed toward home, I want to be “just me,” a girl safe enough in her own skin to go unmasked. Just like He made me.
YES!!! That’s exactly how I desire to go before Him! And that’s what I believe He is helping me to accept! Thanks for being real!
I must say there are a lot of layers of paint on my mask, too. I don’t want to look “super-mean,” though, just super. Happy. Up. You’re absolutely right, it’s nice to scrub that paint off and go to God, warts and all.
“Just like HE made me.” I love it!
We are wonderfully made, and He wants us to be confident in Him, which will let HIS light shine through us to all.
Thanks for the post! It was great.
Great post, Jennifer. Nicely put.
Oh wow! I loved this one. Wearing masks is something I want to talk to with the youth group I lead. It’s a topic that has popped up in various conversations with my friends. I just haven’t quite figured out how to go about talking about it, but I hope God places some words in my heart about this topic someday.
You know, I really love reading your blogs, because they are so real. I’m glad I somehow stumbled across them.
–Kt Mac