Imagine what God imagines about you

God's view of us is our true reality! Who do you trust about your true value? Yourself? Others? God? Who's most trustworthy?

So we've been in a series called "Rock Star" at Living Hope and I was thinking of an acronym I've used for the past 20 years that represents how we typically try to measure our value. The word I use is M-A-S-K-S. We wear Masks because . . . well, they do serve a purpose don't they? They allow us to hide what we see as a "not so cool" self. Ultimately we use them to protect ourselves. Our masks are fear-based reinforcements of untruths. They are the opposite of what God says about us. Warriors have worn them. Religions have used them. Moses used a mask to hide the fact that God's glory faded from his face far too soon. Wearing the mask kept all those fickle followers from doubting his authority. When Moses would hang out with God on the mountain his face would glow for a long time after coming back home. The people were in awe. But after some time the glow began to fade. Moses started wearing a mask. What's your favorite mask?

The first two letters of my Mask are Money and Appearance.

MONEY - You don't have to be rich or even greedy to find this mask making you feel like you're more of a man or woman. Money can give you a sense of being in control. You will be admired by someone maybe more depending on how much money you have. You can have really bad hair and a very poor personality, but if you have lots of money you can feel very valuable.

I've used money to buy electronic gadgets, pens, watches, you name it . . . money is a great mask for buying that next toy to give you an OK sensation for the next few minutes, hours, or days. But even though masks can cover up well, they can fill our heart with that real sense of being A-OK. They are just masks.

Howard Hughes might be the perfect representative for this mask. He was smart, daring, and did so much for our society in the field of aviation. But all the money in the world, and he had a great deal of it, was not enough. His life grew more and more meaningless and eventually he isolated himself completely from all relationships. His last few years he grew his hair long, didn't bathe, and began to display serious mental health issues. Howard Hughes tried to escape his mask towards the end of his life, but the very people he hired to protect him kept him locked up physically and emotionally until he died. His last few months there were two TVs running 24-7 at full volume and he kept all his urine in jars, refusing to let them be disposed of. Looking at all his accomplishments, his fame, his wealth, the women, everything, it a shocking testimony of how destructive the money mask is.

Reality Check: In spite of knowing this I still wrestle with this mask. Why? We will never be free by trying to remove the mask ourselves. My buddy Paul has said it a thousand times, "I can do ALL things ONLY (I added this myself) through . . . " Look it up! Spend some time reviewing how you are attached to money. What are you going to do with that extra money we're paying ourselves via the government? (Did you get your check?) Ask God how He wants you to use it? He really does know what is best for us.

Masks often are made of "Appearance." Tomorrow I'll feature a woman I've read a fair bit about. She was lusted after by a president and leader of Russia's superpower. This lady's beginnings, her struggles, and her amazing mask represent this dangerous cover-up - more tomorrow.