Story: Take Off the Mask

On the outside, Olivia looked like she had it all together. She always wore a smile and never looked frazzled or tired. Her secret?

A mask. It was easy to look put together wearing a mask. No matter how out of sorts inside she felt, her mask was always smiling. No matter how bad the sickness from which she suffered was, her mask always looked healthy and vibrant.

Only there were a lot of problems with wearing a mask. For one, it kept her from getting better. Underneath the mask, Olivia was suffering from a terrible illness, and the mask only trapped it all inside, making it worse and keeping her from getting help. After all, others had no idea she was even sick!

One day, Olivia realized she couldn’t handle the mask any longer. She needed help. Hesitatingly, she allowed a friend to see under the mask. To her great surprise, her friend didn’t freak out. Instead, she pulled up her own mask, showing that she, too, was trapping an illness inside. Honest with each other at last, they were able to help one another and get the treatment they needed. Oh, how freeing it was to let the mask fall off!

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 5:7 (ESV)

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16 (ESV)