Halloween

Happy Halloween, to all you who will be dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating, to parties, and pulling pranks!

When I think of Halloween, I am reminded of the nature of masks. Masks are made to show everyone a different face than you really have. It's fun to change appearance on Halloween, but sometimes people don't drop their masks afterwards. I know people who live with a mask all year round. they don't want any prying eyes to see who they really are. So, they plaster a bright smile on their face and hide their uncertainties, fears, and the self they think no one will like.

I think that sometimes that kind of thing is OK. Some people are hurtful. Maybe it's not a great idea to show everything you're feeling around them. But putting a mask on all day long, because we think that people will like us less for who we are, isn't good.

Leaving our masks on before God is even worse. He made us! He knows all of our mistakes! Hiding what we've done and telling Him a lie because we think somehow it'll be better that way, is what Adam and Eve did. They hid from God after they had eaten a fruit from the forbidden tree. Then they put on some leaves to hide their shame and hid from God. As if He didn't know all and He wouldn't notice.

God loves us so much! He wants us to come to Him as we truly are - broken, weary, tattered by life. That way He can be our Healer, Comforter, and Redeemer. He can save us from ourselves and the people around us who want to cause us harm. All we have to do is drop the masks from our faces and let God makes us new.

-Aylin