by Paul Laurence Dunbar
WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
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Country comedian Ray Stevens sang a song a few years ago which said in it “We get all dressed up to sing Just As I Am.”
It certainly seems that one thing that is forbidden in many churches is struggle. We want to be the finished product, and want others to be the finished product, without the process. So, we end up wearing the mask.