Yesterday afternoon I ran into a co-worker while shopping. I initially thought it could be her but I passed her anyway. I am notorious for running up to strangers I perceive to be someone I’ve met before. Most of the time I’m wrong, but people are always very gracious. I’ve become a little more cautious lately. As I passed her I glanced back just as she looked up. She looked so different from behind a mask and without makeup.

We stood there, more than 6 feet apart, and chatted for at least 30 minutes. I tried to end the conversation twice, but she continued going each time. After a while, I just settled into the conversation and forgot about my thoughts of inconveniencing her with my banter. It was truly a good heart to heart conversation. I had never actually had a conversation with her before so to have one of this depth was definitely unexpected.

I have learned so much during this crazy COVID-19 season. One thing that stands out is that we’ve gotten so accustomed to wearing masks in our daily lives that we hardly ever develop a genuine connection with some of the people we interact with daily. Now that we’re forced to wear masks, our hunger to be uncovered often forces us to go deep.

What masks have you been wearing that have been coming off one by one while you’re forced to wear masks and isolate? So far I’ve removed my masks of self-consciousness and have begun to embrace my curly hair and my imperfect brown skin. I’ve removed my mask of intimidation and have begun to express my thoughts and opinions more freely. I’ve removed my mask of the fear of being hurt and begun to be more vulnerable with others.

Today as I stand in a medical office waiting to be seen, I feel freer behind my KN95 mask than I have in a long time. Life’s conditioning made me timid, develop a negative perspective of myself and my abilities, and taught me to hold in my opinions for fear of being ridiculed or frowned upon. I’ve experienced so much blatant prejudice and over time it has gnawed away little pieces of my self-confidence. But today, I stood because I didn’t feel like sitting. I requested to be put in a larger room because the waiting closet to which I was assigned was claustrophobic. I questioned, when in the past I would have meekly remained silent with my thoughts, I chatted and laughed freely with the technician and even interjected some jokes about experiences I had in my travels. Today, I was unmasked.

Now, I’m embracing the fact that God loves me just as I am with my brown skin and kinky curls, and with all of my faults, failures, and shortcomings. In Isaiah 54:10 God says, “Though the mountains are shaken and the hills are removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” My interpretation is, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around you, what you have or haven’t done, who likes or dislikes you, what you have or don’t have, what shade or color your skin is, who you know or don’t know. The God who created, and maintains the universe loves you and that doesn’t ever change.

It must break my Heavenly Father’s heart when I view myself as ‘not enough’ because he made me in His image and likeness, so when I doubt myself and see myself as small and insignificant, it’s like saying He isn’t enough. We all know that that’s rubbish.

I want to challenge you to do some introspection and identify the masks that you’ve grown so accustomed to wearing, and begin to remove them one by one. Instead of wearing masks, hide behind Jesus’ precious blood that was shed at Calvary. That blood not only cleanses you from every sin but it makes you perfect in your Heavenly Father’s eyes.  Always remember that God loves you and approves of you.  “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” Psalms 139:14.