Maskless...and radiant...

2 Corinthians 3:18 -
We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NIV version, The Holy Bible)

Eons ago, I read C.S. Lewis' book, Till We Have Faces, for an English course in Bible college. This acclaimed author just fascinates me with his brilliant thought patterns and amazing illustrations that bring his point to life for the average reader. In his own words, when asked about the title of his book, he said,

"How can they (i.e. the gods) meet us face to face till we have faces? The idea was that a human being must become real before it can expect to receive any message from the superhuman; that is, it must be speaking with its own voice (not one of its borrowed voices), expressing its actual desires (not what it imagines that it desires), being for good or ill itself, not any mask, veil, or persona."
— C.S. Lewis in a letter to Dorothea Conybeare [cited at Constance Babington Smith, Letters to a Sister from Rose Macaulay, 1964, 261; also at Hooper, Companion (see IX) 252

Indeed, we must unpeel our masks when we encounter God. I have been involved with various communities in which the Christian heritage runs deep and strong. Many speak the Christianese very well and rules are very important to them. I have to confess though that many times I do not sense a genuine relationship with God, one in which people cannot help but be real.

I think about my own life and I know that I can be 'real' with very few people. With most people, when asked the Canadian "how are you", I give the Canadian response, "fine, thanks", no matter how rotten I feel. In recent months, I have been learning that God wants me to express exactly how I am feeling to Him, not give Him the lofty sounding platitudes. If you look at the Psalms, you see a 'real' man, expressing anger, desire for revenge, sorrow, depression, you name it..he vents it..but he does not stop there, he always goes to God's perspective. Is it any wonder God considered him a 'man after His own heart'?

The opening Scripture shows an ongoing transformation into His likeness going on as we submit to His Spirit and lift the veils. There are people in my life who reflect His glory with radiance. In my Beth Moore homework, she remarks on Moses' radiant face when he came back for 40 days and nights from meeting with God:

-1. There was a change. Moses' face was radiant, an undeniable mark of the glory of God.

-2. He was unaware of the change. Beth says that God protects us from pride by 'veiling' our progress. His light on us presents a 2-edged sword: it helps us to see Him and His Word more clearly; and it also reveals our sin more clearly, a perfect safeguard against pride. True intimacy breeds true humility.

- 3. Others were aware of the change. Intimacy with God shows. Some may not like it as it confronts them with their true self, others who are genuinely seeking Him are drawn to it.

Beth concluded the study by asking us to read Psalm 43 with her. I have put The Message version to reinforce the 'real' language of today:

Psalm 43 (http://www.thebible.com/)
1 -2 Clear my name, God; stick up for me against these loveless, immoral people. Get me out of here, away from these lying degenerates. I counted on you, God. Why did you walk out on me? Why am I pacing the floor, wringing my hands over these outrageous people?
3 -4 Give me your lantern and compass, give me a map, So I can find my way to the sacred mountain, to the place of your presence, To enter the place of worship, meet my exuberant God, Sing my thanks with a harp, magnificent God, my God.

5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God—soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God.

Father, so many of us have become disconnected to our true heart and even in the safety of Your Presence and unconditional love can only speak a false language. Please help us to lift the veils and become transparent to reflect Your glory to draw people to You. Let Your Spirit guide us into truth, the truth of Who You are and who we are. Bless us with Your Presence. In Jesus' Name, Amen.