Beloved of God

Most of us don masks every day

Sometimes, even, more than one at a time

We don them for protection

-of ourselves and others.

More often than we'd care to admit,

wearing a mask is a good thing

acting as a filter

preventing us from revealing 

the myriad emotions

waging war to be released

Hiding our insecurities

Freeing us to act.

Our masks keep us mute

stifle the screams

that might otherwise escape

They mould our expressions

into polite engagement

veiled indifference 

or even outward confidence.

They direct our speech

into banal banter

and, occasionally, side splitting humour

All of it real

but none of it authentic

They prevent us from being outed

as shallow or complex

straightforward or intricate

And then we endeavour to become

the mask that we wear.

Becoming the persona we portray

is deceptively easy

Until it's not.

For when the mask slips

or, even worse, shatters,

we fail to recognise

who we are

and have little energy

for getting to know 

ourselves once more.

And, before we know it,

we are fashioning a new mask

for ourselves

and for others.

And the God who created us in love 

weeps at the knowledge

that we do not love ourselves enough

to simply be who we are.

Beloved children of God

Cradled in love

that reaches beyond every mask 

soaking up the sorrow we hide

and the joy we subdue

gently encouraging us to discard

the persona

we present to the world

and make friends

with the beloved creatures God created us to be.