Masquerade

Wearing masks has become a new normal. Turns out, many people are scared to be themselves. Lots of people are afraid to be seen for who they are. I know I’ve been. My fear was rooted in loneliness and being misunderstood. I used to have the desire to be accepted and to impress others, until I learned their opinions and perceptions of me never mattered anyway. They still don't. More importantly, I learned that everyone is not supposed to get or understand who you are. People hide parts of themselves out of fear that others won’t really like them if they own the true version of who they are. I know this because at one point, I did some silly things to try to fit in until I felt suffocated, got tired of shrinking, hiding, and running from who I am. I felt pressure from others and was encouraged to be something I'm not, and to do and want things, I was unsure were good fits for me in the first place. There have been times I’ve felt weird being me. On numerous occasions I’ve been questioned, shunned, and feel utterly invisible and left out. It’s been this way since I was a kid, and I’m growing to be okay with being myself, even when I feel that way sometimes. Because I’ve grown to understand that I was never meant to fit. God has set me apart, and to be set apart is incredible, because what it means is that what God will do (and has already been doing) in my life will far surpass anything normal or what everyone else in my life has already seen, experienced, and done. I’m being set apart for massive things, a number of which I’m already beginning to experience. And to finally know that all the years of feeling odd, different, and having desires unlike anyone else has all been preparation for something better, is exciting! Being true to who you are is powerful. It takes tremendous amounts of courage to stay true to yourself and what you represent, no matter what anyone says or thinks. Be authentic to who you are at your core. If some people can’t handle you at your truest self, then they’re probably not people you need to be bothered with in the first place. I wonder how different things would be if people decided to honor their true self? There are people who do this every day, then, there are the fakes and frauds that stunt about who and what they are, to get approval from people who don’t pay their bills or have a heaven or hell to put them in. That’s a waste of time. Be yourself. Why be anything less?