The man behind the mask

Hello people,
It's so good to write and share content on this space as I pondered on things happening around me, I wondered on which of them I wanted to write about. Then a senior friend of mine Dr. Funmi Owolabi shared this beautiful piece with me and I felt it was apt to share her musings with us. For me it was a question of how authentic I need to be.

Enjoy reading!!!

There's this book titled 'The Man in the Mirror'.I bought a copy because of its title and it sure is a great read! I was attracted to this title at first glance because I thought it might have something on transparency. I was right!The mirror reveals-the good,bad and ugly.There's the eternal mirror, God's word, that reveals all about us-our origin, and where we are. It's a good thing to stand before the mirror but there's a paradigm shift nowadays.We have replaced the mirror with the mask!The mask covers up imperfections and gives power to those behind it to reveal or hide the truth about them.I think that some of our relationships are masked up-there really isn't that sincerity and transparency that characterize authentic relationships therein.The other day,I asked a friend about his wife and he answered by reeling out the wife's progress in her educational endeavours.Hmm! I mentally filed that one for further reflections. These are times when  people define you by your status- education,wealth, popularity e.t.c.We also define ourselves by our statuses. But who cares about the fact that you might really, really be struggling with important issues of life such as faithfulness in marriage, financial integrity,or Christian maturity, you name it?Not too many people care about these real issues of life these days.So,we mask up and life has become phony.
I am learning to take off my masks, whether those I created or those given to me by circumstances or by people.I am learning to go back to the Mirror which is God's word and define myself by its standards.I am learning to recognize my weaknesses and to receive grace in the face of my weaknesses.I am also learning to truly care for people by asking 'how are you doing today?' and to pause for their feedback.May the Lord continue to help us to become real, authentic people who constantly stand before His mirror.These are the very ones that our world is hungry for, don't you think?

AGING

For me the concept of aging rubs off on me differently at different times. I have had times where the thought of aging has scared me to my insides because I fear what it means to age and not have some basic things in my life, like a home to call my own and at other times it is seeing those who have aged and are sickly and I ask myself, does old age connote ill health? The most worrisome for me is the fact that as people age, many feel the need to do what pleases them, because I guess, time may not be on their side, they have attained to a certain degree that no one may necessarily be able to hold them accountable for their actions. This is because the assumption is that you are old enough to know the right thing to do. These actions can mar the people around the older person and make them lose faith in God, relationships, and vital values. This for me is the scariest place to be.
I desire for myself that as I age, I will be a better version of who I was yesterday. I will be more graceful in handling the people around me. I will not take advantage of my age to do as I please, whether or not it will hurt the people I love the most. I will be considerate of the feelings of others. I will have my needs met in old age and be the best version of who I am meant to be. SO, HELP ME GOD. AMEN.