Peeling the Mask Off
Café Menu for January 1, 2015
Today’s Special is: The Girl in the Picture
Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Suzie Eller
Main Ingredient:
“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.” Romans 8:29a (NLT)
Entrée:
The girl in this picture is 18. She’s working two jobs to try to stay in college.
No one in her family has ever gone to college. She is pursuing an English degree. Maybe she’ll be a teacher. She loves to write, but that seems like a dream too big.
In this picture, the girl is all grown up. She’s a mom and grandma to three beautiful babies. She’s married to a man she still loves like crazy. And she’s a writer and a speaker. Who knew?
God did.
Though I marvel at what has taken place in the years between these two pictures, God knew from the beginning.
The first girl was searching, unsure. She thought she had to fight, work, and strive to find her way, and if she was lucky, she might win. She thought people saw her through her eyes — a girl with something to offer, but not enough.
The second picture shows a woman secure in God’s love. She is joy-filled and strong.
Time has the potential to peel the mask away, to show us what God saw all along. In my case the mask was created by a dysfunctional home and words that marked my heart. But over time, as His girl, I gained a deep sense of who God is and what I meant to Him; and the mask fell away.
Time brings things like wrinkles and gray hair, but it also brings perspective. The longer we know Him, the more we evolve into the image He saw all along.
What do you see when you peel away the mask?
Take Out:
Pull out an old picture of yourself. Who was she? What has God done between that time and now? Celebrate it!
If you still feel that mask of actions or words spoken by others, ask God to peel it away gently, just one small touch at a time.
Dessert:
Dear Father, You do what we cannot. You see what we cannot. Thank You for peeling away our masks to show us Your view of our worth and what we are becoming. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
For more encouragement visit Suzie at her website T. Suzanne Eller.
Suzie’s book: The Woman I Am Becoming: Embrace the Chase for Identity, Faith, and Destiny (Kindle edition)
© 2012 by Suzie Eller. All rights reserved.
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