Masks On!

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.

Proverbs 25:28 NKJV

Wednesday was Ladies Night for REfresh Bible Study.  The fellas got to have a week off while we gathered to reconnect and be refreshed.  While we often discuss taking our masks off as believers, last night focused on the benefits of keeping our masks on.  COVID-19 has descended upon the world, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that we use face masks and practice social distancing when outside of our homes.  The masks protect us from this unseen enemy and protect others from possible infection from us.  The three-woman panel each shared their thoughts on the benefits of masks in a spiritual and practical sense.

Masks offer us protection.  Proverbs 25:28 cautions us to have rule over our own spirit.  It compares a city without walls to our unguarded spirits.  Walls around a city protect the inhabitants from invaders.  When the walls fall, everyone inside is vulnerable to attack.  The same is true of our spirits.  We are charged with being mindful of what we allow into our spirits.  We can’t be lazy.  We have to protect our spirits and be intentional with feeding ourselves with God’s word.  It protects us from wayward thinking.

Masks are also covering.  I don’t know about ya’ll but wearing my mask in public can get uncomfortable.  I’m breathing all of this hot recycled air.  I long for the time that I can get back to the safety of my own home and take the mask off.  But even though the mask can be uncomfortable, it is necessary for my health.  How does that apply to our spiritual lives?  We need God’s covering to keep us safe.  But sometimes that covering is uncomfortable for us.  It makes us realize that we’re not in control.  Even though remaining under God’s covering is best for us, we can fight it.  We want to do things our own way.

Then we got a breakdown of the mask.  We learned what masks are made of, how well they fit us, and which filters are appropriate.  The fit of the mask stood out to me.  The last time that I was in the grocery store I saw the most peculiar things.  People were walking around with their masks on but had their noses sticking out.  Not just one person.  More than I could count on my hands.  The fit was not right.  It really wasn’t doing much good.  Sometimes, we get ourselves into situation that don’t fit us.  The situation may not necessarily harmful to us, but it really doesn’t fit.  We have to adjust and move ourselves into situations that are a better fit for where we are in life.

Listen, ladies night was packed full of powerful word.  I could really write a novel about it.  But I won’t.  Keep your masks on folks!  #wepreach