Have you met people who have presented themselves to be something they were not? Have you ever attempted to be somebody that you are not? I suppose in some ways all of us have put on those masks at one time or another in life. Why do you suppose we are afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to just be ourselves? I think we conceal the real me sometimes because we feel that we don’t measure up to the environment we have been put in. We don’t feel free to be accepted as we are, so we attempt to be someone we are not. I think the greatest compliment that can be paid an individual is that they are the same everywhere you see them. God knows there are times you need help just being you. When you don’t know what to ask for in those times, the Spirit intercedes for you. (Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.) I believe God wants us to accept ourselves, to like who we have been created to be, and to learn to deal with our insecurities. Everyone has weaknesses. If you base your value on your weaknesses you are going to miss out on the life God wants you to enjoy. Our worth is not based on what we do and can do, it is based on what God has already done for us and in us. Remind yourself daily that everyone is imperfect and that God loves you just the way you are. Stop wearing those silly masks. Just be me! Pastor Don