Masks

Kristin Chessrown is a young lady with a laser target focus on being who God has created her to be. She does not settle, will not bend to peer pressure while loving every person she comes in contact with. She has an innate ability to see untapped potential in others while celebrating who they are right this very minute. Kristin knows what it means to experience great loss as well as great intimacy with her loving Heavenly Father. You will be blessed by hearing her heart today. – Cindy Grasso

I’m a special effects makeup artist.
I create characters from mermaids to monsters and everything in between.

Over the years I’ve become pretty well versed in the art of mask making.
The best masks are created with a custom fit for the model; that way when they’re attached, they move naturally with their facial expressions. Blend in their skin with some makeup and soon enough you can’t tell where the mask ends and the wearer begins. The magic of Hollywood is rooted in their ability to make you believe the fantasy they create. It doesn’t matter is elves are real or not, the makeup artists on the set of Lord of The Rings made them look real, and so they are to us now.

I started studying FX makeup in college, but the reality is, I learned the skill of mask making and mask-wearing long before I ever picked up a pint of latex.

Some of my more notable pieces are;
the “Strong one,”
the “Confident one,”
the “Pretty one,”
the “Twenty-something with her life together,”
&
the “I’m fine.”

I think you might recognize some of those.
You’ve probably worn your own version of a few of them.
We create them for self-preservation.
We wear them out of our perceived necessity.
They’re custom fit to us, and after a little bit of work, we can’t tell where the mask ends and the wearer begins.

God did not create you for this.
Jesus did not go to the cross for the “strong one,” or the “I’m fine, I’ve got it all together” combo. Jesus went to the cross not for the one who was “fine” but for the one who needed him.

I learned a long time ago, to “put on a brave face” and I did.
I’ve got a good brave face, but wearing it doesn’t make me brave.
Telling God I was scared when my mom died gave me bravery
Telling my close friends that I was struggling with my faith, made me strong
Telling others what I’ve gone through, what God has brought me through, that’s what bravery is for.

We think these masks are covering up something that we need to hide, truthfully, they’re covering up the gold that God wants to work with. Scripture tells us that God will refine us like gold.

The process of gold refining is to put it over fire so that the impurities burn away. It must be watched carefully by the refiner though; too much heat, and the gold will burn, too little and nothing will be changed.
In the end, though, the refiner knows the gold is refined by his reflection in it.

Jesus’ intention is to see his reflection in his precious creation.
He can’t do that when you’re covering it up with cheap masks.

Take those masks off.
There’s gold hiding under there.
Let him refine those things you’re trying to hide.
Let him show you how valuable you are on your own.
Let him show you how Beloved you are.

“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.”

Roman’s 12:9 MSG

 – Kristin Chessrown