TAKE Off YOUR MASK

Here is a short poem of what I believe is probably the biggest struggle for teenagers and young adults.

Take off the mask

Your value doesn’t come from how much you say you got at the bank

Take off the mask

Integrity, compassion, and kindness are far more important than where you rank

Take off the mask

There is beauty in the wounds hiding behind the act.

I don’t know how growing up in the ’70s or ’80s was, but I am sure that our parents did not have the access we now have to so many people at the same time. Think about it! All it takes is to go on social media to find out that a minute ago Lucy bought a new car, Brandon just finished 75 hard and his body looks amazing, and Michelle… well Michelle just got married to the love of her life. It’s great that beautiful things happen to people, one of my closest friends once told me “que chido que te pasen cosas chidas” for those who don’t know Spanish take a Duolingo course and you’ll get it. Nah I’m playing, it means “It’s cool that cool things are happening to you.” However, let’s be honest, seeing all these great things right after you come home from riding your “pichiliro” ( cute way of referring to an old car that not even the mechanic can figure out how it’s still running),  finding out that the diet is not working as expected, and not being able to forget that person who played with your heart, is probably not the best for our mental sanity. The first thought that comes to our mind is that life is working out perfectly for everyone except me. It is not that you are jealous or wish bad things happened to people. You are human! And every now and then it would be nice for life to turn its smiley face your way. But here is the deal, Lucy who just bought a new car has sentenced her life to long hours of tedious work so she can keep up with the payments, Brandon whose body looks great is currently battling suicidal thoughts because he feels purposeless, and Michelle did get married but maybe not to the love of her life, because behind that gorgeous veil and the beautiful white dress she hides a couple of bruises from the last fight with her now called husband.

Putting on a mask seems to be the new trend, It’s like a non-ending cycle that we know is not good for us but we still do it. Chances are that you won’t make an appreciation post for your pichiliro, which has kept you from walking all this time. Instead, because you saw Lucy’s brand-new Jeep, now you too will start considering getting in debt so you can get an “upgrade”. Imagine you choose to do so, now, Jay who happens to be one of your followers will see how “happy” you seem in that brand-new truck, and he too will go down the same cycle. The story will keep repeating itself and the result will be a bunch of people who look happy on the outside but are broken on the inside. Sounds familiar? Yep you are right, that is the world we live in, and you and I form part of that cycle. We walk around this world wearing a mask, and in trying to fit the “mold” we lose one of the most beautiful things one can offer; being vulnerable. Nowadays, it is impossible to have an honest conversation with someone because everyone is so worried about trying to portray the right image that the only conversations we get to have are about the weather, sports, and celebrities. How amazing would the world be if instead of buying that brand-new Jeep, Lucy would’ve had someone to remind her that her value doesn’t come from what she possesses but from who God made her to be? Think about Brandon, what if he had someone to tell him that purpose doesn’t come from likes but from staying true to what God has placed in his heart, or Michelle, what if someone would’ve told Michelle that she doesn’t need to rush to get married to someone who hurts her. At the right time and with a little bit of effort to understand how much God loves her, she would’ve found the correct person. Finally what about you? What if someone would’ve told you that it is ok for life to suck sometimes, that you don’t need to have what someone else has to be valued, and that it is far more courageous the human who chooses to wear their scars out in the open than one who chooses to hide them.

The only way to stop this cycle is by deciding to take off our mask, throw it away, and walk around being who we truly are. Broken people battling insecurities, doubts, and questions. I want to invite you to break the mold, don’t conform to what everyone else is doing. Choose genuine, choose authentic, choose original. Life is not meant to be perfect and the more time you spend trying to keep up with everyone else the more miserable you will feel. Start to walk around with a sense of security, because here is the truth. God never said you need to be perfect, he says the total opposite… as messed up as you are I still choose you. Maybe some people won’t like how blunt you will become by being authentic and that is ok. It is very hard to encounter someone who goes pass the shallowness we live in. However, if you are lucky enough, along the way you will have the opportunity to encounter people like Lucy, Brandon, Michelle, and yourself, and when those encounters happen… well a new cycle will have begun.

As I always say! Thank you for allowing me to be part of your story. I hope that these writings help you find in me another human like you who is trying to figure this life out. It’s been a journey but every day that passes God shows me more and more that a life far from him is a life not worth living. If I could tell you one thing it would be this. Run to God as broken as you are… he will show you what real love looks like and your life will never be the same.