One of my truest desires and struggles as a human being is to be known. I do not mean fame or fortune. I mean for someone else to truly know me. To relate to another human being on an intimate level. This is not a one time event. It takes time (and lots of it) to really know someone and to be known by them. One of the reasons this is so hard for me and many others is the lack of transparency in our lives.
Somewhere along the line of Christianity, someone must have decided that Christians had to be perfect. They were not supposed to have any struggles or doubts or fears or...you fill in the blank. We think, "how unspiritual it would be to doubt God or struggle with my faith or an area of sin or be angry at God or need help in my relationships." And so we pretend that those area do not exist in our lives and say that we are "fine", give the church smile, and move on. Sometimes we move on without even realizing we are wearing a mask.
In this passage today we see the most amazing verse! Let's read it again!
"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."
As many times as I have read the remainder of this passage dealing with freedom in Christ, I had never paid any attention to verse 16. How and why do we have freedom in Christ? We have freedom through Christ's shed blood on the cross. But, through that sacrifice, when we turn to Him, the veil is removed that kept us from seeing who Christ really is. Now with "unveiled faces" we can know Him and confidently be known for who we are by Him. The transformation can now take place. We do not have to wear a mask anymore. So why do we sometimes put it back on?
Today let's go to God in all honesty and transparency asking Him to help us be transparent with Him, other believers and with ourselves. Whatever your struggle is, if you are a human being and drawing breath at this moment, you are not alone. (See 1 Corinthians 10:13). Ask God to reveal to you a safe person that you can confide in, someone that you can truly be yourself with.
God helped me throw my mask away several years ago, but honestly I buy a new one from time to time. But, for me, they are just to suffocating. Transparency in Christ is liberating and truly freeing. God has already "unveiled" our faces, let's leave them that way.
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