Elliott Cavett
Elliott Cavett's Story
Masks
I actually saw someone who wasn't wearing any mask and didn't expect anyone to wear one for him.
Going into High School I was a short, small person. Due to this fact I was picked on in middle school. So moving into High School I was seeking the approval of my peers, many of whom I hadn't gotten to know yet.
Because of this, I started to become whom I thought they wanted me to be. I acted in a certian way around different people, was able to be a different person when around different people.
As I was putting on "masks" for different people I began to realize that no one was really getting to know me. Because of this I wasn't building any real friendships. I was getting to know people and have them see what they wanted and never really being real with anyone. I began to feel quite alone.
If I had kept on wearing these "masks" I would have never met some really fun people. They would have never gotten to really know me. I would have probably sunk into depression and would have worked myself into a rut where I would have never gotten past appearances with any one of my peers.
Everything turned around when I met a guy in my 9th grade Earth Science class who was sold out for God, I actually saw someone who wasn't wearing any mask and didn't expect anyone to wear one for him. God used him to show me that the only way to have a friendship beyond the surface level is to take off the masks and allow people to see me for who I am.
As I began to get to know this guy, and see the love and kindness that God can offer through other people, I wanted to be around other people. I have been able to be myself around people in all situations and not want to impress people. Because of this, I have some friends who now know me for who I am.
Since then I've developed several great friendships. It took me until college to really figure out how to leave all the masks off and be true to myself. I find myself sometimes longing to have some masks so that I don't have to be so real with people. However God has shown me time and time again that there is so much more to a friend than someone to hang out with, and the only way to get there is to be the person He created me to be.