During Trueface, I learned that “taking off your mask” within a community is extremely important because it opens the doors to growth. A couple of the ways Class 20 has experienced this together include vulnerability during Bible study groups and in-suite fellowship. It’s been a challenging yet rewarding experience to share with like-minded believers.
Understanding the difference between the Room of Good Intentions and the Room of Grace has changed how I approach my personal relationship with Christ. The Room of Good Intentions is tiring, and The Cure provided such an accurate description of how people who stay in that room become skilled at wearing a mask. The Room of Grace isn’t very well known in my own life, and it is a room I hope to learn how to live comfortably in from now on. I greatly appreciated the way The Cure described how Jesus isn’t waiting for us to fix ourselves before coming to him. He has died and paid the price for our sins and desires a relationship with us, no matter how many times we wander back to the Room of Good Intentions.
The most challenging aspect of learning to live out my identity in Christ is confronting the masks that I wear. This becomes difficult when part of removing those masks is letting other people in on those lies and allowing them to speak truth over me. Removing your mask frees you from the lies and will enable you to hear the truth about your identity in Christ. While it is challenging to address these lies and hear the truth, it’s also healing to go through these things with other believers.
“Taking off your mask has meant being vulnerable and honest with myself and others. It’s been hard, but it’s also been something I desperately needed to learn more about myself and grow closer to God. It’s been a beautiful thing to remind each other of the truth of the Gospel we live in. Take off your mask, it’s worth it.” – Addie (Class 20 Fellow)
God has used this experience to foster meaningful relationships within Class 20, allowing the Fellows to take off their masks and learn to be accepted for who they are. This creates a beautiful space of trust and vulnerability among young adults who are all learning to find their identity in Christ.
For the rest of our time as Fellows, I pray that God will use what we learned during Trueface to strengthen our relationships with one another and with Him. After Fellows ends, I plan to continue the practice of taking off the masks I wear and encourage others to do the same. Living out our identity in Christ is the most freeing experience.
– Gaitz Rozell – Class 20 Fellow