Each year, I see more and more Christians post about the evil of Halloween & all the things about it that are of the devil and how by participating in any of the festivities or celebration, we might unknowingly be condoning or celebrating evil. This year, there is even a movement as an outward showing to fly in the face of Halloween, of decorating for Christmas NOW before Halloween. I’ve passed several homes in my town this month all decked out in red and green and holly and evergreen. (I guess I missed it - is there something demonic about the Thanksgiving holiday, too?) This is what we are resorting to now? Dueling light displays because we are offended by a day on a calendar?
1 Chronicles 28:9 tells us that God searches our hearts & minds and knows our thoughts. In 1 Samuel 16:7, God tells Samuel He looks not at outward appearance, but at our hearts.
Good and evil is something that takes root in your heart. It motivates you & your actions. God knows your heart. You aren’t going to “accidentally” celebrate or promote or become an influencer for the “evil one” because you go trick or treating or put up Halloween decorations or attend a Halloween party.
Jesus has already conquered sin, death and Satan with his death & resurrection. We are already redeemed. Wearing a mask for a secular holiday is not going to jeopardize that. Why do we go around thinking that we have to follow a checklist of things that mankind has deemed worthy or not and trying to earn our redemption - as if it hasn’t taken place yet? As if we aren’t under the protection of our King already? Satan was left behind in the grave well over 2000 years ago. He may have some influence today - but only when we allow it / invite it / choose it. Satan is NOT to us like alcohol is to alcoholics. One little sip of Halloween punch isn’t going to doom our souls for all eternity.
Why do we have fear where we should have confidence?
Isaiah 54:17 CEV
Weapons made to attack you won’t be successful; words spoken against you won’t hurt at all… I, the Lord, promise to bless you with victory!”
For those of you who think that’s just a one time promise to Israel at that time for them to to take Jerusalem, let’s look at some other verses:
Romans 8:1 (TPT)
There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.
Eph 6:16 (TPT)
In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One.
MT 24:13 (TPT)
“Keep our hope to the end and we will experience life & deliverance.”
God is bigger than ghostly ghouls in a mask, witches brew punch at a Halloween party or other halloween- themed activity… Therefore, my faith? It’s not threatened by a day on the calendar.
There is one notable item often associated with Halloween that can be extremely dangerous… any time of year: masks. Notably: the masks we hide behind. What we try to get people to see - that outward appearance that God sees straight through.
Some of us have been perfecting these masks for years. We’ve learned how to smile while crumbling inside. We do our best to appear strong when our knees are buckling. We boast about our faith-filled life even when our prayers have gone quiet or may even be questioning if God hears us - or even exists.
The world praises resilience, but rarely reveals what it costs to authentically live in resilience. Because most of us choose to perform something that is anything but authentic.
When I was in high school, I loved drama (the theater class and chorus musical - not life drama). I loved portraying a character and getting lost in it. Getting away with being someone I wasn’t and doing things I normally wouldn’t do. My first role in high school One Act Play was that of an eccentric old lady who took her imaginary poodles for a walk in a play called Make Mine Vanilla.
One of my most memorable roles was an old lady named Magna Carter (her name was a nod to the oldest document known to man at the time because she was about that OLD!) and the first night - due to a curtain mishap - I had to improvise some humor to bridge a gap. I had the audience rolling in laughter, gained new respect from my choir director (who told me to repeat it in future performances) and was unrecognizable to people in the audience who knew me well who didn’t realize that was even me! That musical was utterly and embarrassingly ridiculous - but I had fun - and it ended up being one of the most favorite memories in my lifetime.
Why? Because up unto that point, I had been living into labels & false meanings in my life. I was an introvert … and an extremely shy one at that. But there were people who took the time to meet and get to know me who would be surprised that anyone would refer to me as “shy.” Quiet and observant? Most definitely - but not “shy.” Just didn’t have much to add to already shallow and boring conversations usually. I got so good at being unheard / misunderstood in elementary school I almost became completely content at staying in that box, so to speak.
But Ms. Magna Carter and her comical interludes to entertain the audience between scene changes unleashed something in my life that has never been the same. Instead of acting a role to become another character, I got to truly be completely myself while disguising it as a performance. Ironic, huh?
First of all, I’m funny! Who knew! I completely ad libbed my scenes after that accidental opening scene that first night. All of my consumption of the Carol Burnet Show & listening to Robin Williams Night at the Met cassette tape on repeat paid off! Haha! It takes a special kind of comic genius to pull that off - and I had it!
My people-pleasing, permission-seeking tendencies went out the window. I didn’t worry about anything I was doing not being within any rules. Especially that first night! I followed no script and no rules and just had fun with it and made people laugh.
When my director came and stuck his head backstage afterward and yelled my name and said, “Do it again! What you did tonight! Do it again! That was gold!”
I didn’t want that role. I wanted one of the lead roles, of course. I was the only one in choir who had been in drama and One Act Play. So, when roles were announced and my name was not called I was pissed. I knew that the choir director was not my biggest fan; but not getting any lead roles? (They went to his favorites as usual.) My role was the LAST ROLE he announced. And when he announced it, he prefaced it to say that he type cast the role and there was only one person in the entire class that could pull off the role after he’d seen all of her previous work in the theater class in the previous years - and he announced my name. I didn’t even know at the time which character that was. When I read back through the script and realized she was the old lady secretary I thought to myself: “Great. I was type cast as an old maid!”
Looking back, I realize that the choir director was right. I was the one person in that class that could play that role. But neither of us knew just how that was going to play out - but he was confident that I was going to be able to deliver. That role seemed pretty insignificant. It took place in front of the curtain. Had little or no interaction with any other characters. It was to fill in the time it took to change the set. The play was ridiculous. Have I mentioned that already? We were doing a musical about aliens landing on a college campus while our rival 90 miles away was doing Grease.
Anyway, I digress.
The musical was ridiculous. So, my role - was challenging not only keeping scenes stitched together - but just keeping the whole thing from falling completely apart. I completely flipped the tables on the objective of my scenes. I made fun of the musical itself with tongue-in-cheek humor. I stated the obvious - answered a phone call and said “The Dean” No, he’s not in. He’s helping change the set for the next scene right now? He should be done in about two minutes though. Can I take a message?”
People didn’t recognize me while I knew I was more myself on that stage than I had been in my entire life - and it changed something within me. I never was the same after that… because I was more me. I think that’s why we really never outgrow playing dress up. Because sometimes it can unleash who we really are that we wouldn’t dare express out from behind the costume. We can always just point to “getting into character” and get away with it without feeling judged, vulnerable, etc.
However, somewhere along the way, I learned to become what was needed in the room: the calm one, the capable one, the funny one, the spiritual one, the advisor, the good girl, the teacher, and so on. Not that I’m not any of these things - but often people want the segmented part - leaving me feeling fragmented & not appreciated for my whole, wonderful self.
Each role also carried its own mask… with fragmented pieces that were also not me.
However, when life begins to unravel, the masks just don’t stay in place. Something often has to give. For me this year, I was carrying too much. And those masks suddenly became too heavy. They had to go.
Wearing “I’m fine.” like armor.
Wearing “I’ve got this.” like an idol.
Wearing “I’ll figure it out.” like adlibbed scenes when we forgot the lines.
Wearing “No problem.” like stage makeup.
Wearing “God’s got it” as a cover for the ache you haven’t let Him touch yet.
These masks are just carry-on luggage at this point. Furthermore, they don’t take care of my family. These masks just don’t fit the dress code for this season in my life. They also don’t overcome the insurmountable obstacles this year that continue to drop in our path one after another after another:
Kevin’s emergency leg amputation
loss of income
depleted savings
sideswiped by a young driver destroying my driver’s side mirror
hoodlums vandalized Kevin’s car
both of our cars that need glass replaced
my car needs new tires, brakes and some other things that need replaced and tuned up when a Toyota hits 60,000 miles
grocery prices still not going down
sprinkler system going haywire & not shutting off
I can’t afford to add Mayc to insurance to get her to drive and help alleviate some of my driving/transportation issues so she’s still not driving
me and the kids need to likely find new health, dental, & vision insurance (Kevin is now covered by the VA), our health insurance being dropped by most of our current providers in another money grab attempt in negotiating contracts
just learned I now have a $1000+ dental bill (dental insurance decided not to cover what I had done back in May because somehow they got word to unenroll me while I was paying premiums for dental and vision all along (and government shutdown - I can’t even find the right person to help me figure that out because they aren’t at work right now and my regional contact passed away a few weeks ago)
rough start with kiddo’s school and the new principal who luckily seems to have since chilled out
government shutdown while we are trying to process federal medical retirement & VA rating processing, our main contact we’d been working with to prepare medical retirement stuff passed away a few weeks ago… so once the government opens up, we get to start over with someone new
Kevin’s computer dying - followed by his backup computer dying
My phone won’t take/make calls without dropping or having so much static I can’t be heard
Kevin’s phone is now so old he can’t make/receive calls - he gets a message that says his phone is too old to work with the updated networks
Insurance that previously said they’d pay for his prosthetic - now saying they won’t because Kevin is now with the VA - even though we had this prosthetic long before he got signed up with the VA. And it is impossible for us to get through to the insurance company - we tried and kept putting in a loop that ended us right back up to a medical provider line - not member - there is no one there - due to government shutdown - to help FED members with insurance matters.
… and if it’s up to me, there’s just no way through or out of it. The last straw for me this week was the prosthetic - it’s ‘nearly $20,000. There is no way we can pay for that. I’m about ready to hire an attorney and sue the federal government, BSA billing, and our insurance companies for pain and suffering they have heaped on top of everything else. I just can’t take anything more.
My mom has been such a blessing to us. We’ve also been blessed by other friends who’ve continued to show up in incredible ways. We are lucky to have my mom and other family & friends when others in our situation don’t have a mom like her in their lives. I don’t know how they do it. Especially given the ridiculousness going on in DC right now with the shutdown and benefits being stopped, etc.
So back to our situation.
None of my independence-themed masks can do what needs to be done. If not the masks, then what… or who? (Me! That’s who! Wait that’s not right … God … and however He utilizes Authentic Me )
I found myself typecast into a new role I never auditioned for: caregiver.
The joke in my family has always been that anyone who ended up relying on me to take care of them was out of luck because I am not a nurturing, caregiving type of person. As much as I am independent, I don’t enjoy other people depending on me. Yet, what we’ve learned this year is that I’m pretty good at it. Not only that, I enjoy it.
However, this really isn’t a surprise when you parallel it with coaching. The things that make me good at and love coaching & entrepreneurship are the things that crossed over and made me good at my caregiving role. There is more to caregiving than nurturing: constant, creative problem solving, research, communicating current issues, noticing patterns, protecting the patient, trying to make the money work, etc.
When life strips down your life’s rhythms, safety nets, and basically everything you’ve known, depended on & taken for granted for the last 20 years, it leaves you naked, bare & vulnerable. Here’s the thing when this happens: Something has to give: It will either be you or the things that no longer serve you. If you keep trying to clench your fists around those things like a toddler with her favorite toy, you will fail to experience what it’s truly like to surrender and allow God to infuse the gaps with blessings and gifts with perfect timing through friends, strangers, and family.
Something has to give: It will either be you or the things that no longer serve you.
Honestly, it’s hard for me to surrender my independence, my “I’ve got this -where there’s a Mel, there’s a way. I’ll figure this out. I don’t need anyone to help.” parts of my identity. I am the first to admit that my independent spirit is ingrained into my identity. Used to, it was a source of pride. I finally realized, it was just in my way… or better yet, in God’s way. It’s no wonder that pride is addressed so often in Scripture. It was even harder to post on social media to friends and strangers that we need financial help (we still do by the way thanks to the government shutdown that stalled out medical retirement and VA rating processes.) I worry that people will judge us (or me) and think “why doesn’t she just get a job? (yeah like I haven’t been trying since May to find something around Kevin’s appointments, Mayc’s school & transportation needs - ask my daughter who has little schedule restrictions how hard that is in this market here! She did finally find something and it’s been an answer to prayer - not the toxic environments she’s encountered in the past. )
God keeps whispering to my soul that I need to be coaching - not looking for a job - that He has this in place for a time such as this… and He co-created with me a new system that does work around our schedule and can provide for our family without burning me out.. However, if I’m completely honest, in my mind - He’s gonna have to show up with supernatural marketing because every attempt I’ve made to launch something in the past has failed miserably. And a struggle for me is that I’m not confident that this time will be any different - except I trust God to show up with supernatural results. If He doesn’t, I don’t know what I will do. He knows my heart, my fears and my pre-determined devastation should this fail, too. This is my Plan Z. The history of Plans A-Y say that I will fail again. I just can’t take that again - not right now when we need it most. I have wrestled with God on this one… a lot.
However, God has shown up over and over this year leading us to exactly what we need. Had I not been willing to surrender - let go of my independence and pride, I never would have experienced His love, grace & supernatural presence & provision.
God never asked us to impress Him with our composure. He doesn’t anoint masks… He anoints who we are created in His Image. He doesn’t bless our performance… He blesses our surrendered presence. And then, when He removes what we’ve hidden behind, He’s not humiliating us… He’s healing us.
So, I want to circle back now to Halloween and the roles we play and the parts of ourselves that we are thrilled when we get to unleash that part of ourselves that we long to be without explanation, excuse, justification, or even permission to just be this part of ourselves.
We are not alone in this. In Scripture, Jacob wrestled with his own identity fragments. Peter was stripped of his denial and embraced in grace. Then we read the best description words can offer about what happens when God’s glory is unveiled to us in the story of Moses’ encounter on the mountain. I think that Peter would tell us that unmasking is a liberating homecoming.
Let’s find every way we can to integrate these parts of who we long to unleash into our worlds - confidently, unapologetically, and authentically - without the benefit of holidays or costumes or stages. We are not living a performance on a stage. There is no curtain. Nor is there a script. This is who we are living a life we were designed to live authentically - as ourselves - not as fragments, not according to others agendas or expectations that rob us of our God-given identities, purpose & mission.
The Mirror Practice
Stand before a mirror today. Look yourself in the eyes. Ask:
“What am I hiding behind?”
“Who do I become when I feel unsafe?”
“What truth have I been avoiding because it would make me too real?”
Then pray: “God, show me the face You see.”
Sit quietly and notice what rises… warmth, resistance, tears, peace… Whatever comes is welcome. This is where restoration begins.
You don’t have to fear being seen… you were designed for your reflection. The mirror doesn’t lie; it liberates. As every false layer falls away, what remains is what’s real… your masterpiece self, unveiled.
2 Corinthians 3:18 The Mirror App
Now, we all, with new understanding, see ourselves in him as in a mirror. The days of window-shopping are over. In him every face is unveiled. In gazing with wonder at the likeness of Elohim displayed in human form, we suddenly realize that we are looking into a mirror, where every feature of their image, articulated in the Lord, is reflected within us. The Spirit of the Lord engineers this radical transformation; we are led from an inferior mind-set to the revealed endorsement of our authentic identity. From the fading glory of our own doing, to the discovery of the most amazing reality, that we are God’s glorious masterpiece!
Phil 1:6 The Message
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
Normally I would end here - set up a paywall and everything behind this would be for paid subscribers. However, I’ve turned the paid tier off and I’m offering a free preview of what will be coming for paid tier subscribers - a peak at the benefits of the expanded journey offered to you as members below. Enjoy!
Live ignited❤️🔥!
MelAnn
The Masks We Wear
A Mirror & Masterpiece Deep-Dive Reflection: A 4-Phase Journey to Release False Identities and Reclaim Divine Design
“For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (TPT)
THE ART OF UNMASKING
We were taught to wear strength like a costume… smiles like makeup, confidence like armor, and politeness like proof that we’re fine. But what happens when the mask begins to crack? When the roles no longer fit, the lines no longer comfort, and the reflection no longer feels like home?
This is not a lesson in losing yourself… it’s an invitation to rediscover who God designed beneath every disguise. This is not about becoming someone new. It’s about uncovering the masterpiece that’s been buried under our attempts at maintenance of what others see or our attempt to control outcomes..
Masks aren’t always lies. Sometimes… they’re necessary for survival. But God is calling you from survival into sacred identity.
At first, the costumes, makeup, armor and masks saved you. They helped you navigate unpredictable rooms, survive impossible seasons, and hold it together when life didn’t. But survival habits make terrible soul companions. They protect your image while starving your essence.
This is the work of unmasking… not as rebellion, but as realignment. It’s where psychology meets spirituality, where identity reconstruction meets divine remembrance. Here, we don’t chase change. We consecrate clarity.
You’ll learn to:
Identify the masks that once served but now suppress your calling
Trace the emotional and spiritual payoff behind each one
Release the false identities without self-shame
Rebuild from truth — body, mind, heart, and soul — with God at the helm
THE MIND: The Mask of Control
“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart, rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all,.” Proverbs 3:5, 6 (TPT)
We wear the mask of control when chaos feels threatening. We overthink, over-plan, overdo… not that we don’t trust God, but because we don’t feel safe letting go. Control is often just fear wearing competence. We clutch the wheel because we mistake mastery for safety.
But control is counterfeit peace… it quiets the chaos by drowning out trust.
Reflection / Journaling Prompts:
What do I try to control when I feel powerless?
Where am I confusing perfection for peace?
What situations activate my need to fix or manage outcomes?
Where has my intelligence become interference with God’s instruction?
When was the last time I confused over-preparation with obedience?
Unmasking:
🕊 Write down three areas where you’ve been trying to “manage outcomes.”
Cross out each one and write instead: “My surrender to God’s presence is my plan.”
THE BODY: The Mask of Busyness
“Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God..” Psalm 46:10 (TPT)
Our bodies keep the score… and sometimes the disguise. When we can’t say no with our voice, we say it through exhaustion. When we won’t stop moving, it’s often because we’re afraid of what silence will reveal.
Our busyness is the socially acceptable mask for avoidance. We call it productivity, but often it’s protection… from pain, from reflection, from slowing long enough to feel.
Insight for consideration:
Movement isn’t always momentum. Sometimes it’s resistance disguised as progress.
Reflection Prompts
What emotions surface when I stop being productive?
How do I measure worth through output?
Where is exhaustion secretly pride in disguise?
What role does busyness play in my sense of worth?
How does my body tell me when I’ve crossed from purpose into people-pleasing?
Where might fatigue be masking my fear of something?
Unmasking
🕯 Choose one day this week to move slower on purpose… with intention.
Notice how your body responds… tension, relief, guilt, gratitude.
Journal what surfaces in stillness.
Prayer
Lord, teach me the rhythm of rest. Help my body remember what peace feels like.
THE HEART: The Mask of People-Pleasing
“God is my complete persuasion. I answer to him alone, not anyone else. Christ employs me; I am addicted to his grace. Popular religious opinion will not influence me to compromise my message.” Galatians 1:10 (The Mirror)
The mask of approval is soft and shiny… It wins applause, but costs us our authenticity. When we live for harmony, we often trade our truth for acceptance.
Approval feels like belonging until you realize it’s rented. The heart that over-functions for love eventually forgets what love feels like.
Insight for Consideration
People-pleasing is emotional outsourcing… handing others the pen to narrate your worth.
Reflection Prompts
Whose validation feels essential to my peace? Whose opinion have I been protecting more than my peace?
What fear surfaces when I imagine disappointing them?
How has my kindness become currency for acceptance?
What am I afraid will happen if I disappoint someone?
How does my heart hide its needs behind helpfulness?
Unmasking
💌 Write a letter to yourself from God’s perspective.
Let it begin with, “You don’t have to prove your goodness to earn My love.”
Prayer
Lord, free me from false peace. Help me love honestly and rest in Your approval.
THE SOUL: The Mask of Strength
“Finally, it dawned on me that grace is God’s language; he doesn’t speak thorn-language. He said to me, My grace elevates you, to be fully content. And now, instead of being overwhelmed with a sense of my own weakness, he overwhelms me with an awareness of his strength. Oh what bliss to rejoice in the fact that in the midst of my frailties I encounter the dynamic of the grace of God to be my habitation.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (The Mirror)
The mask of strength is often the hardest to remove. We wear it because breaking feels dangerous. But your soul was not meant to express resilience in strength… it was made to receive redemption & all of God’s blessings that come with it.
Strength is sacred… until it becomes self-sufficiency. We hide behind our own capability because vulnerability feels like risk. But divine strength begins where human certainty ends.
Reflection Prompts
Where have I equated weakness with failure?
What role do I play that prevents me from receiving care?
What am I hiding behind the statement “I’m fine”?
Where have I mistaken survival for strength?
What might happen if I allowed God to meet me in the middle of my mess, not after I’ve cleaned it up?
Unmasking
🔥 Write down the roles you’ve carried (“the strong one,” “the helper,” “the problem-solver”).
Lay your hand over the list and pray:
“Lord, strip away what isn’t mine to carry. Rebuild me with what is holy, humble, and whole.”
CLOSING SECTION: THE REVEAL
God doesn’t dismantle the mask to shame you — He dismantles it to show you the reflection beneath it. Unmasking is both confrontation and communion: the moment truth and tenderness meet face-to-face.
Identity Integration Exercise
Draw two overlapping circles — one labeled “Who I Pretend to Be”, the other “Who God Says I Am.”
In the overlap, write the traits that are still true, still holy, still you.
This is your bridge from pretending / hiding to presence.
You were never the mask. You were the miracle beneath it… seen, selected, and sustained. You don’t become someone new when the mask comes off… you become visible… seen.
Unmasking isn’t about shame; it’s about sight. God’s gaze has never been fooled. And when you finally see yourself the way He always has… radiant, real, redeemed… you realize the mask was never your protection. His presence was.