Behind The Mask

42‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they also will answer 4Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
Matthew 25: 42 - 44 NKJV

I once knew a man who, by all appearances, was a good friend and family man.  In his wallet he would carry pictures of his two children and in his locker at work were the various photos of family get togethers and vacations.  For all intents and purposes, he was living the perfect family life.  Or so I thought.  Well, one night after a argument with his wife, he took his life.  At work we mourned him as a good and family oriented man who obviously had some personal issues.  While I was never privy to the moments which led up to his death, I'm sure I might not recognize the man I thought I knew.  He wore his mask well.  I thought of this the other day and wondered, how well do we know those around us?  Sure, we may think that we know our friends, co workers and family, but do we really?  A good friend of mine recently commented that we can never truly know another person.  I agree.  This is coming from a man who has been married for over fifty years.  Is it any wonder, then, that we preach that our marriage relationships take years to develop?  Why should it be any different with our other relationships?  As I said, can we honestly say that we really know those around us?  I thought I knew the man who was my co worker, but I was wrong.  Each day, we are surprised to learn more about our friends and those we have come to know.  I feel that this is part of what makes our relationships with others special.  Not only that it keeps us on our toes, but that we never stop striving to know who they truly are inside.  You could say that our continual efforts of discovery to know others fulfills what Jesus had to say about our relationships as well.  That we love one another {John 13:34-35}.  Can we love someone without knowing who they are?  maybe, but again, we might be surprised somewhere along the line when we learn something about them we may not agree with.  Granted, that should never get in our way of loving others, but it all too often does.

9He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
10He who loves his brother abides in the light, and othere is no cause for stumbling in him. 11But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 4: 9 - 11 NKJV

I can't recall how many times I've heard others tell me of how they couldn't live with another person who believed in something they didn't.  Personally, I think that's a load of Bernie Sanders.  Have you ever heard the phrase that relationships are the spice of life?  So what if you are in a relationship with someone with a differing view, maybe you'll learn to accept the opinions of others for a change.  The issue with knowing one another is not a issue of our opinions and beliefs, but of a deep seeded knowledge of who we are ourselves.  Who am I?  Well, by the knowledge of the truth of Christ Jesus, I know that I am all that He is {Galations 2:20}.  As Christ lives in me, so I am.  Of course, I don't hold the patent for the indwelling Christ.  Far from it.  So, if Jesus indeed lives in me, then He lives in those around me as well.  Yes, He even lives in those whom I might shy away from befriending.  Unlike yours truly, the Spirit of Jesus never discriminates when it comes to whom He lives in.  If we take the words of the apostle Paul to heart, then we understand that the Spirit of Jesus is in all who seek Him.  He dosen't ask who you are, where you've been or what took you so damn long to seek Him out, He simply is there with us.  It's a good thing that Jesus' idea of relationships is light years away from our own, or I might still be on a waiting list for His Spirit within me.  All too often we discriminate with whom we allow into our lives.  We want people who we like, those who we feel will make us look good.  We've all seen the trophy wives who grace the pages of the hollywood gossip rags.  Are those real relationships or simply unions of convenience?  Judging from the divorce rates in this country, I'm guessing that true marriage relationships are few and far between.  I suggest that we challenge ourselves to see what is beneath that mask of those arond us.  Who is the person beneath the outward appearance?  For when we find that out, then we are on the way to truly knowing another person.

~Scott~