Masks Part III

The peacock is one of the most beautiful of birds in my opinion.

But it does not come with a very good reputation.  Words such as "proud" and "strut" are associated with them and they are most definitely noisy!

In researching peacocks I found that they also have been symbolic of renewal and immortality throughout history.  But they make me think of another way in which we use masks to keep from truly connecting with one another--through distraction.  Earlier I wrote about using masks to hide behind.  The male peacock is so beautiful he is able to attract the female by distracting her from the other male peacocks.  By strutting about and fanning his beautiful feathers he's making her take notice of him.


For us it's the smoke and mirror trick otherwise known as the artful deception.  It's where we put on a facade.  It might be by the way we present ourselves physically--the way we dress, etc. or by our manners.  What makes it deception is when we present ourselves one way with someone and another way with someone else or situation.  We aren't being truthful about who we are.  We try to distract people from seeing the real us by being flashy with our exterior looks and behavior.  


I love this quote by Alan Cohen:   


Your true self cannot be improved.  It can only be lived.


What he is saying is that we need to quit trying to be someone else and instead be who God made us to be.  Yes, we all can stand to grow.  But that is different from being improved upon.  By "living" the person you were created to be, God will provide the means and the way to become the best YOU, if you will allow Him free reign.  We each start out as an infant, and we must grow up into adults who are capable of caring not only for ourselves but others.  God uses other people in our lives to help us grow--first our parents, then other family members, friends, teachers and so on.  We have to let these people into our lives at an intimate level if we are going to grow up to be ourselves.  We must not create masks to hide behind or distractions to avoid connecting with people.  We must be a Mary instead of a Martha (see scripture).


Father, thank you for the people in my life that have helped me to grow up.  May I be available to others in such a way to help them to become themselves.


Link to scripture: Luke 10:38-41


Take action:  Intimacy