Once a year at Halloween, children become the character whose costume they put on. We have grandsons who love to become <em “mso-bidi-font-style:=”” normal”=””>Spiderman, Batman or Darthvader at any moment. Our family has been known to watch for the 50-75% off super hero costumes after Halloween, in order to make sure they can escape into their pretend world at any time. We were recently with Jake, age 6, and Josh, age 4-(almost). Every day at some point, the boys would dawn their super-hero costumes and escape real life. Once or twice they combined characters, one super-hero on the top and a different on, on the bottom. We observed some very interesting modern day super-heroes! One in particular was a baseball player suited with glove, ball and hat sporting a Spiderman mask. They would pretend they were super fast, super mean, super smart and super sneaky!
Observing them each day, I was amazed at their ability to escape their present world and become someone else, all it took was a mask or a costume and poof Jake was gone! Josh disappeared! Of course, we were not allowed to address them by their real names, but rather by the name of the super-hero they had suddenly turned themselves into. Little doesJosh Hamilton, of the Texas Rangers, know that he is a super-hero and that when you combine him with Spiderman, it is amazing what he can do!
When Superman appeared one afternoon, I couldn’t help but remember a message I heard given by Rev. Tony Evans. He spoke of the days when he and his brother would plant themselves in front of the television every afternoon to watch Superman. He said as Clark Kent entered the phone booth, he would look at his brother and say, “Ute oh, dare he go.” Watching Superman run in and out of the den, I thought about those words, “Ute oh, dare he go,” Jake and Josh would disappear for a short time and then suddenly appear another super hero. Like magic! All it took was the creation of a new costume, and there appeared a new character.
A mask, a costume, a little equipment, and they were changed into someone beyond the realm of reality, someone different than the two little boys we knew. I thought about the times I have worn a mask in order to appear to be someone I was not; the mask hiding the reality of what was going on in my life. I envisioned myself walking down a street or the hallways at church, passing one Superman, Batman, Darthvader, or Josh Hamilton-Spiderman, at a time; wondering who the people behind the mask were and what they were attempting to hide? Who were they desiring to be and what were they escaping from? At times for me it has been pain or hurt that I wanted to escape from and at other times- just real life. How quickly I escape my present world when putting on my mask; poof, Dianne gone, disappeared!
I think of the woman at the well, Jesus tired and thirsty, stops at a Samaritan well to get a drink. A woman comes to the well and he says to her, “Give Me a drink.” How unusual for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan, and especially a woman. She involves herself in a discussion with Jesus, who offers her living water and tells her that the water from the well will not fully satisfy, but the living water that He offers will always satisfy. Then an interesting thing takes place. The woman robed in her “mask” is seen by Jesus for who she really is. Jake and Josh were aware that Mimi and Pop knew who they really were, but they wanted us to play along with them. Here in this story God is going to reveal the “true” woman. Jesus says to her, “Woman, go call your husband, and come here.” She responds, “I don’t have a husband.” Mask off! Jesus then reveals the real woman, “You’re right you don’t have a husband, for you have had five husbands, and you’re not even married to the man you are living with now. You certainly spoke the truth.” Then she realizes that He is the Messiah- he knows all about her- no mask- no hiding from Him. She runs to tell everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He possibly be the Messiah?”
“Jake, Josh, it’s time for dinner. Take off your super hero costumes and masks, and come eat.” With those words they were brought back to real life, no more pretending! There was dinner to be eaten, baths to be taken, teeth to be brushed and bedtime to be had. It was time to take off the mask, time to come back to reality. We said goodbye to Superman, Darthvader, Batman, and Josh Hamilton-Spiderman and welcomed back the two little guys we know and love. Our Heavenly father says, it is time to take off your mask, come and feast at My table, taste of the living water I offer – with Me, you will hunger and thirst no more. You can be who I created you to be, a new creation – real!
Lord, how I desire to be free of my mask- to be the person you created me to be- I want to be real! Help me each day to long to escape into Your arms, rather than to escape into the “pretend” world Satan entices me with. You know all about me and I can never hide from You. Thank you that with You all things are known, all things exposed and all things forgiven. You know me, You love me, You accept Me, You saved me, You set me apart, You have a divine plan and purpose for me, your child. Thank you, Father!
“I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” Psalm 139:7
“Can anyone hide from Me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and the earth?” says the Lord.”Jeremiah 23:24
“Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:24
Dianne