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?