A hateful person disguises himself with his speech and harbors deceit within.  When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart. Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his evil will be revealed in the assembly.  Proverbs 26:24-26  HCSB

Today is Mardi Gras.  In Southeast Louisiana and other areas around here, it means parades, lot of parades.  The Mardi Gras season begins in early January when the king cakes come out.  Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday became a legal holiday in Louisiana in 1875.  It was once a Christian holiday which began in Rome.  In Rome there were wild Roman festivals which were pagan traditions such as Saturnalia and Lupercalia.  Rather than abolishing these pagan festivals, religious leaders decided to incorporate them into the new faith. It became known as the carnival season which is a kick-off to lent.  A last hurrah before 40 days of penance which lasts from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.

Hundreds of years ago, revelers wore masks to allow members of all different social classes to mix and mingle.  People could be whomever they so desired, at least for a few days.

Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we can remove our masks.  We can reveal the peace and joy that we find in Him.  Often times we try to hide our disappointment, heartache, and pain.  We put on masks pretending to be happy and unbothered by the cruelty of this world.  God can remove these things and remove the need for masks.

God sees what is behind each and every masks.  He can remove the things that cause us pain and therefore eliminate our needs for masks.  However, there are those who wear masks to disguise their hatred.  They try to disguise their evil, wicked behavior by wearing masks of kindness and concern.  Beware of that person, trust God to give you discernment to know when someone is plotting evil.  Draw close to God for His protection from those that practice deception and hatred.

At Mardi Gras masks are often beautiful and decorative in an array of colors especially purple, green and gold.  Being at Mardi Gras and seeing someone in a mask is perfectly normal.  As a matter of fact in New Orleans, those riding on a float are required by law to wear a mask.  But masks can also be scary.  If you see someone wearing a ski mask coming through your door uninvited, you know they are not there for fun.

For whatever reason, we wear a mask, God sees right through it.  He knows what we are trying to conceal.  He is also there to protect us from those who intend to do us harm.  He sees behind the masks.  He can help us turn from the hatred and the evil that we may be trying to conceal.  He can also heal any hurt that we may be trying to conceal.

So, as we celebrate this last day of the Mardi Gras season and head into lent, prepare to serve a risen Savior, a Savior that will protect you from those that mask their evil plots against you, a Savior that can reach behind your masks of sorrow and shame and heal the heartache.

Turn to God today and remove your mask.  You are not hiding anything from Him anyway.  You will be so glad you did.

Have a great day!