With Unveiled Face

This morning as I darted off to work as I do every morning, I kissed Tim goodbye, grabbed my keys, my phone, my cup full of Spark, and my backpack. Oh shoot – I forgot something – my mask. I hurried back in and tried to find one that somewhat matched my outfit.

Masks have certainly found their place as the newest fashion accessory in 2020. Smart entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the space for advertising. Sports teams have found a new place for their logos. And us girls have decided, if we are gonna wear one, its gonna be cute!

Ultimately, I know the purpose of the mask is to protect each other from the virus – so I wear it. But honestly, I hate masks. It reminds me of the virus every day. It reminds me of freedoms we have lost and may have already forgotten we had. It reminds me of how easy it is divide a nation. It happened so subtly.

Last weekend, I awoke with this scripture on my mind:

I thought to myself, I cannot wait for the day when we can leave our houses, stroll down the aisles of our grocery stores, or walk down the hallways of our schools with an unveiled face (or mask-less).

Of course, this scripture is not talking about the kinds of veils/masks we are all wearing right now to protect us from an invisible virus. The veil, in this context, represented the Old Testament law. The prolific New Testament letter-writer, Paul, was laying out the case that we no longer live under the burden of the law. The people who thought we still did, metaphorically, had their spiritual vision obscured as if looking through a veil.

So often, Paul had to address the virus of people being held to the death-dealing standard of the letter of the law. The legalist of Paul’s day used the law to feel morally superior to others. He had to remind the Galatian believers over and over not to go under the bondage of the law again once they had been set free by Christ.

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:16-17

We can never have an encounter with the Lord and leave unchanged. Moses wore a veil because when he had encounters with God, his face would glow and then fade. However, on this side of the cross, when we turn to the Lord, He removes the veil and our unfading glow comes from the Holy Spirit that lives within. (See 2 Cor. 3:12-15).

We no longer live under the yoke of the law carved in stone, but under the freedom of grace. The Spirit writes the law in our hearts after we turn to the Lord (see v. 3). That veil Paul talked about is totally stripped away by Christ.

This week we found out the mask order was extended for a third time. I’ve got to admit – I was bummed. I do not like living under the burden of this order. Again, I get it and I wear it, but I do not like it.

I want to be able to see someone’s smile from ear to ear. Or maybe I need to see how upset someone really is. I would love to be able to hear people’s voice clearly, without the muffled sound it makes through the mask.

It is just not natural for us to walk around covering our faces. The mask covers emotions and brings feelings of separation. I’m ready for genuine, human connection again. For me, that involves seeing someone’s whole face. I pray the virus is contained and controlled in the name of Jesus!

Thankfully, our spiritual veil has been removed. There is nothing separating us from God. He makes our lives brighter as He transforms us into His image little by little each day.