Where are Your People Lord?

     I have asked this question of the Lord many times in prayer. Where are your people Lord? The Lord did not answer me right away or maybe I could not understand the answer. It was only when I got close to some people that then I truly understood where his people are. They were not in some faraway place or hidden away in some secret location. To my surprise they were all the time standing right in front of me.
     What I saw as a stranger to people and not as their friend was a mask that they were wearing. A mask that reflected the world instead of their true selfs. Some people are afraid to let down their guard for fear of being hurt. They put on a hard veneer in order to deflect any blows that might come their way. I could not see them as they truly are because of that protective personality that they were showing me. They put a shield over their true personality because of their fear of rejection.
     I thank God for having the opportunity to see past the mask on a few occasions. I saw people as they truly were. They are not so hard as they pretend to be. I saw people who are afraid and confused. I saw people who are lonely and are hurting inside. I saw people who were not so different from me. The only difference was that they have gotten use to wearing the mask and I wanted to throw mine away. I want to be myself all the time and be that person that God wants me to be. A person who is not afraid of what others might say. I want to be a person who is happy and comfortable with his own existence.
     I did lay down my mask and took a chance to reach out to people and (to my surprise) they in turn reached out to me. I then saw clearly the answer to my question. Where are your people Lord? They were always there, hiding behind their masks and standing right next to me.