By: Steve Wilmot
Edgerton, Ohio
Joe Louis reigned as world heavyweight boxing champion for 12 years. In 1946 he prepared to defend his title against Billy Conn. His trainers warned Louis about Conn’s great speed.
They alerted him to his tactic of darting in to attack and then leaping out of his opponent’s range.
Unphased, Louis replied, “He can run, but he can’t hide.” The attempt to hide traces its roots to the Garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. The intimacy they enjoyed with their Creator deteriorated into fear, shame, and distance.
We’ve been hiding ever since behind self-designed masks. Authors John Lynch, Bruce McNichol and Bill Thrall wrote The Cure. (I highly recommend you find a copy and read it.)
In it, the authors write: “On that day (the day of the Fall), all humanity learned how to look over shoulders; to dark glances; to say one thing and mean another; to hide fear, deceit and shame behind a nervous smile. That day, we learned how to give the appearance we’re someone other than who we actually are.
“We begin to lose hope we can be ‘fixed.’ So, we cover up. We put on a mask and begin bluffing. After a while, we can barely remember how to live any other way.”
The first negative emotion released on earth was fear. How God will respond to our imperfections still terrifies us. Will he punish me in anger?
Will he wash his hands of me because after he’s given me a thousand chances I still mess up? Does he second-guess sending Jesus to the cross to die for me?
Is He upset because I gave in to that sin again after I promised him I’d never do it again? We suppose the answer to all these questions is yes. No wonder we hide behind masks.
But the truth is, God’s answers each question with a resounding NO! He’s not angry or ready to give up on you. He isn’t upset. He doesn’t regret the cross.
God always sees behind your mask, and he loves you anyway. He knew the terrible things you’d do and the multiple times you’d break His heart, and he chose you to belong anyway. He doesn’t condemn you or kick you to the curb because you messed up… again.
There’s never a need to wear a mask around him. But we do anyway. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so, I hid” (Genesis 3.9-10).
We’ve been hiding ever since. God made Adam and Eve remove their masks. “What have you done?” (Genesis 3.13).
He already knew, so why did he ask? Because more than anything, God wanted a restored relationship with them. If they continued to hide behind masks, their guilt and shame would force them to stay at a distance from God. To hold him at arm’s length.
If they could fool him into thinking they were better than they were, then he’d be sure to love them.
Your heavenly Father wants nothing to stand between you and him. The only way to restore your relationship with God is to intentionally take off your mask.
Admit what you did. Acknowledge the guilt and shame and regret you feel. Until you stop pretending everything is fine, a restored relationship is impossible.
There’s no need to try to hide from God behind a mask. He loves and accepts you just the way you are. Until you become vulnerable, open and honest with him, you prevent him from transforming you into the person he created you to be. Restoration to the intimate relationship he longs to have with you can’t happen as long as you wear a mask.
Come out of hiding. Take off the mask. It sounds risky but take the risk. If necessary, do it scared.
Chew on this question from The Cure. “If this life of Christ in us is true — if there is no condemnation, if he’s perfectly working to mature us from the inside out and if he’s absolutely crazy about us despite all our stuff — why would any of us ever put on a mask again?”
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Steve Wilmot is a former Edgerton, Ohio area pastor who now seeks “to still bear fruit in old age” through writing. He is the author of seven books designed to assist believers to make steady progress on their spiritual journey.
