Costumes, disguises, and dress up—oh my!! Being a Bohls means that any excuse to dress up—be it in formals or costume—is taken. And Halloween is definitely a family favorite—right up there next to Harry Potter. And I suppose our love for costumes is due in part to Steven’s mom’s incredible ability to create the most amazing costumes I’ve ever seen. I mean, it’s fun to dress up and play a character for a night, but when you look “JUST LIKE HIM/HER!!”—that’s when it goes from fun to awesome.
But that kind of gets me thinking: We are all in some sort of costume at some point every day. It may be the diligent student costume, or the go-getting athlete, the dutiful employee, or the charitable volunteer, but how many of us get to really be our true, unreserved, unabashed selves for even a moment in the day? I am not trying to say that everyone is completely fake and that nothing is honest about the way they are—certainly each of the roles one plays is a part of that person’s true self—I just think it’s rare that we can release all our inhibitions, let go, and just be honest and true to ourselves. We try so hard to hide certain things because we think they’re embarrassing, or goofy, or even shaming. Or sometimes we think that we’re expected to be a certain way, maybe because you’re “the funny one” in the family, or “the brain”. Or we think that whatever it is won’t be accepted.
But the truth is that true, unconditional love allows us to be our true selves. Whatever we do, those that truly love us—Mom, Husband/Wife, God…—will continue to do so, no matter silliness or sin. True love is not only forgiving and accepting, but embracing of our true selves. We must remember that this earthly state is not our true form, but a temporary fashion—dress up. Our true form is one of perfection—the way He created us.
“God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way." Leighton Ford
“You can understand and relate to most people better if you look at them--no matter how old or impressive they may be-- as if they are children. For most of us never really grow up or mature all that much-- we simply grow taller. O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales."-- Leo Rosten
