Gò0dNews for Everyone
Taking Off the Mask
T
by Dorothy Teague
here has been a lot of controversy over wearing or
With physical masks, we can not wear them 24/7
not wearing a mask during 2020-2021. Government
without taking a break. The same thing is true when it
leaders say it is the right thing to do to slow the
comes to the masks we put on metaphorically. We can’t
spread of the dreaded virus. At this point, the general public
keep up the act all the time. Even though we might fool
is sick of wearing a mask. The complaints range from loss
people, we can’t fool God. He is El Roi, the God who sees
of personal freedom, too much governmental control, not
(Genesis 16:13). He looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He
being able to breathe, and the development of skin rashes
sees us for who we really are, including our motives and
and diseases. It is an on-going argument as to the positive
our brokenness, and loves us anyway.
versus the negative. The truth of our situation hit me hard one day, when I started to put on my mask for the hundredth time. We have all been wearing masks of our own making long before COVID. Each morning, we pull out which “mask” we are going to wear for the situation we
As the psalmist David said, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7), we too cannot escape the all-seeing eye of God. We can’t wear a mask to hide from Him. Like David’s admission in Psalm 51:3, our sins are ever before us.
are facing. We wear the stern, no-nonsense,
The debate over physical masks will
all business one when we step into the
likely go on for a while, as will the wearing
boardroom. We choose to put on the happy
of emotional masks, simply because we all
face mask when we attend social events,
want to fit in. We all hide behind a mask at
pretending all is right with our world. Our
times to conceal our real selves. But there is
Sunday religious mask is for us Christians,
One we cannot hide from because He loves
pretending that we are not the sinners we
us. We can be who we really are with Him,
really are. When we wear this mask, all
knowing He loves us in spite of our mistakes.
the correct Christian code words
Even though we can’t figure
spill from our lips so as to fit the
out who we should be or
mold of what people think
what we should do, He
we should be. We become so
already has a plan laid out
good at convincing others
for us. All we need to do
that we are righteous, we
is lay the mask aside, trust
tend to fool ourselves too.
Him, and walk in the way
As Abraham Lincoln
He leads us.
was quoted saying, “You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, people all of the time.”
40 // July 2021
About The Author
but you can not fool all the Dorothy Teague is a Tennessee native, who resides in McMinn County with her husband, Lewis, on their farm. After completing 31.5 years as a teacher in the Bradley County School System, she is active in her church at Eastanallee Baptist Church where she is a member of the choir and praise team.
