Did you know that April 15 is Anime Day? Good, neither did I. Here is what I learned though. Anime Day is all about celebrating the history of anime and bringing people together to enjoy their favorite anime shows and characters. The holiday has its own convention and is celebrated at conventions across the United States and the world.[1] A large part of Anime Day and the anime culture is costumes and masks.
When you think about it, wearing masks is something that mankind has been enamored with since the beginning of time. The Venetians have a centuries old tradition of wearing mask during Carnival in Venice; the mask is usually as a device for hiding the wearer’s identity and social status. The tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The afore mentioned Anime fan may choose a character mask based on the virtues and ideals of that character. Perhaps, the favorite mask in our culture is the mask of the perfectly happy person who never does anything wrong and always has the right answer.
Why do we like to wear these masks? One of the most common reasons people wear masks in life is fear. Psychologist call it imposter syndrome. One psychologist put it this way, “One of our greatest fears is that if we show our true selves, the world will say, ‘Oh, it’s just you.’”[2] In our fear we are basically telling God, “You made a mistake;” I am no good the way you made me.
When we put on masks we are not trusting in God we are trusting in ourselves. We are trusting that we can control the situations of life. When we put on masks we are living lives that are less than what God intended for us. When we put on masks we are shoving dreams and joys and regrets and fears and jubilation into a dark corner of our hearts! We never experience the real joys of the good times and we never release sadness of the bad.
The reality is that God knows what you are like without the mask and he loves you anyway. Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Additionally, God created you for a purpose. You are no mistake. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 139:1-4;13-14.
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely…
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
We are living in an uncertain and challenging time and I believe many of us are wearing a mask. We are scared. We are lonely. Our marriages are hurting. We are depressed. We feel trapped. We feel like we have no one to talk to. And yet, we put on our mask; the one with the big smile and when asked we say everything is okay.
Let me encourage you with this: God is bigger than your fear, your loneliness, the problems in your marriage, your depression, your feelings of entrapment; Jesus says, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”[3] And not only is Jesus ready for you to take off your mask and cry out for help, he has placed people in your life who are ready walk with you. There are several safe options to take off your mask; meet with your Chaplain, Pastor, MFLC, or Behavior Health Counselor because if we are all honest and mask free, we can all say, “the struggle is real.”
Shed the mask, trust God, burden Christ, and remember we are all #inthistogether.
[1] https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/anime-day/
[2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/laugh-your-way-well-being/201510/the-masks-we-wear
[3] Matthew 11:29-30
The Chaplain's Anvil 