Principle Passages: Free to Be Me in the Moment (John 8:36)

Years ago I took part in a men’s group activity intended to reveal who we are as a person. The facilitators gave each person a set of colored markers and a white latex face mask. The masks were blank without any design, markings or adornment. The assignment was to use the colored markers to draw onto the mask a symbolic representation of who we are down deep – the person we really are.

After we finished we re-grouped so each individual could display his mask and explain the symbolism of his design. One guy showed a mask that was totally black with one small circle in the middle of the forehead. The black represented the darkness of his soul; the white circle was Jesus Christ beating back the power of sin in his life.

Another man’s mask had a series of jagged lines across his entire face. The mask was meant to show that he was “cracking up” inside under the pressures of life.

A third individual showed a mask with bright colors across his face. Radiating from his mouth was a big smile, but also an equally big frown. On his forehead he had drawn a large pendulum. He was bipolar and his life swung back and forth from extreme highs to extreme lows.

Then it was my turn. On my mask I had drawn a myriad of colors of different sizes and shapes that resembled camouflage. I told the group that I was a chameleon – a different person in every situation. As I interacted with people I became whoever I thought I should be to have others like me. It was a difficult, but true, admission of who I am at my core. Here’s a picture of my mask that I made almost 20 years ago.

In the intervening years, through the help of some gifted therapists, I have learned to be the real me in every situation – whether or not people like me. Truthfully, at time I still become the chameleon, but less and less over time. How has this transformation occurred? I assure you that it hasn’t happened through my own determination and power. The change in my life has not taken place through any self-help program. I didn’t read a book, go to a seminar, or implement a system to instill habits in my life.

Jesus explained my transformation in John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” I turned control and authority in my life over to Jesus Christ. He is the Source of the power, strength and perseverance that has changed my life. As I stay connected to Him in my daily life, he works in me from the inside out to make me more like Him.

Think about an ordinary room lamp. When you plug the lamp into the socket it will radiate light in the darkness. If the plug is disconnected, the lamp won’t shine. In this analogy you are the cord plugged into the socket. Jesus Christ is the power flowing through you. The lamp is the transformation in your life as the power radiates in and through you. Your life is meant to shine in a darkened world. The only way that will happen is for you to stay connected to the Lord.

At the end of the mask exercise, our assignment was to develop a short phrase that summarized our experience. I came up with a phrase that has served me well over the years: “I am free to be me in the moment.”

When I’m tempted to revert to the chameleon, I recite this phrase to remind myself that I have freedom in Christ. As you walk with Christ remember that you also are free to be yourself in the moment.

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