After watching the news tonight, it looks like it’s only a matter of time before “wearing a mask in public” will not be optional. It will be mandated. Masks have been around for thousands of years. They have been used for protection – think about the days of knights in armor. They have been used for disguise to hide one’s identity – like Zorro or the Lone Ranger; for entertainment – masquerade balls and the theater, such as the comedy and tragedy masks. (Just the sight of a “half-mask” brings back music from “The Phantom of the Opera” broadway show. Ahhh . . .) Masks were used in ancient rituals, both ceremonious and religious events. Masks also were used as part of burial ceremonies to dress the faces of the dead. They even made masks of people after they died – these “death masks” were usually made of plaster and were made by making a cast or impression of the dead.
Today, children wear masks on Halloween. Masks are worn while working out in the yard to protect us from breathing in the dust and pollen. The surgical mask’s first recorded use was by the French surgeon Paul Berger during an 1897 operation in Paris. So – welcome to 2020 – instead of buying jewelry to match our favorite outfit – folks now shop for “just the right mask!” Some people have all kinds of “cutesy” masks, some wear plain disposable ones, and some have rediscovered the good ole’ bandana. (Personally, I think they like the Old West bank robber look! lol!)
But, many have worn masks for years – you just may not have known. Have you worn one of “those” masks? As someone who has suffered for years with clinical depression, most of the time, I’ve got it all under control, but there have been times when I’ve put a smile on my face and I did what I needed to do, whether it’s going to church or going to work. Sometimes, if you “pretend” to be okay long enough – you actually do start feeling better. Sometimes, others can see through your mask – they just seem to “know” that something is wrong. God’s Word offers peace and hope to those who may be “masked.”
They say that wearing masks is not to protect us, but to protect others. If that’s all I have to do, I’m good with that – I choose to think of it being a mask of hope – that “this, too, shall pass.” We are simply blessed, Courtney