Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional.
Rip Off the Mask
By Shelley Quinn
August 14th, 2026
âKeep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.â Psalm 34:13
Finishing a brief therapy session, I slumped down on the side of my hospital bed. A charge nurse popped into my room to ask how I was doing.
âGreat,â I smiled. âHow was your sonâs game?â
After our quick exchange I turned back to my therapist who sat on the window ledge, shaking his head.
âYou are your own worst enemy, Shelley!â
My puzzled look prompted his further explanation. âI know you well enough now to know that when your pain becomes intolerable, you breathe in short gasps and perspiration beads on your forehead. But, you smile and gloss over your condition with a friendly word. Most people canât be cheery when theyâre suffering, andâheyâmedical personnel are trained to determine treatment by reading facial expressions.â
He had worked with me earlier that month during my first week of hospitalization, following a five-hour spinal surgery. I suffered several complicationsâincluding nerve damage in my groins and an irreparable rotator cuff tear. Now, I had been readmitted because I couldnât walk.
He called it correctlyâbrutal pain surged through my back, groins, and shoulder. His gentle rebuke echoed words from my distant past, when a spinal surgeon called me âmy own worst enemyâ for the same reason.
Iâm a âgrin-and-bear itâ kind of gal. Not wanting to be perceived as a whiner, I mask the truth with a smile, using verbal camouflage to hide my brokenness.
Donât pity meâyou likely hide behind the same deflection technique. Have you ever arrived at church heavy-hearted, and when someone asked how youâre doing, you replied, âDoing great! Happy Sabbath!â? Later, you headed home with the same sadness, and no one had the opportunity to pray for you. Or you laugh off hurt feelings following a cutting remark, and never privately confront the abuser. Or a loved one asks, âIs something wrong?â and you hide your frustration with âNo! Iâm fine.â
People are not mind readers! Our words define us. When we express ourselves honestly, we become visible. When we hide behind a mask of verbal camouflage, we are invisible to others. Some of us wall in our pain, andâsadlyâwe often feel as if no one really cares.
Verbal camouflage is deceitful.
I get it! We donât want to wear our feelings on our sleeves. But we need to figure out an honest response to the casual question, âHow are you?â If youâre not doing fineâdonât lie about it. While you donât want to gush out unwanted details, a simple, âIâll get better!â or âIâm trusting the Lord!â or âIâm blessed, no matter what!â are some of the possible responses. If the person is unknown to you, or too busy to stop for discovery, theyâll go on. If, however, they respond, âTell me about it!â you will know God placed that person in your path to comfort you.
Letâs rip off the mask and get real!
Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional.
Rip Off the Mask
By Shelley Quinn
August 14th, 2026
âKeep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.â Psalm 34:13
Finishing a brief therapy session, I slumped down on the side of my hospital bed. A charge nurse popped into my room to ask how I was doing.
âGreat,â I smiled. âHow was your sonâs game?â
After our quick exchange I turned back to my therapist who sat on the window ledge, shaking his head.
âYou are your own worst enemy, Shelley!â
My puzzled look prompted his further explanation. âI know you well enough now to know that when your pain becomes intolerable, you breathe in short gasps and perspiration beads on your forehead. But, you smile and gloss over your condition with a friendly word. Most people canât be cheery when theyâre suffering, andâheyâmedical personnel are trained to determine treatment by reading facial expressions.â
He had worked with me earlier that month during my first week of hospitalization, following a five-hour spinal surgery. I suffered several complicationsâincluding nerve damage in my groins and an irreparable rotator cuff tear. Now, I had been readmitted because I couldnât walk.
He called it correctlyâbrutal pain surged through my back, groins, and shoulder. His gentle rebuke echoed words from my distant past, when a spinal surgeon called me âmy own worst enemyâ for the same reason.
Iâm a âgrin-and-bear itâ kind of gal. Not wanting to be perceived as a whiner, I mask the truth with a smile, using verbal camouflage to hide my brokenness.
Donât pity meâyou likely hide behind the same deflection technique. Have you ever arrived at church heavy-hearted, and when someone asked how youâre doing, you replied, âDoing great! Happy Sabbath!â? Later, you headed home with the same sadness, and no one had the opportunity to pray for you. Or you laugh off hurt feelings following a cutting remark, and never privately confront the abuser. Or a loved one asks, âIs something wrong?â and you hide your frustration with âNo! Iâm fine.â
People are not mind readers! Our words define us. When we express ourselves honestly, we become visible. When we hide behind a mask of verbal camouflage, we are invisible to others. Some of us wall in our pain, andâsadlyâwe often feel as if no one really cares.
Verbal camouflage is deceitful.
I get it! We donât want to wear our feelings on our sleeves. But we need to figure out an honest response to the casual question, âHow are you?â If youâre not doing fineâdonât lie about it. While you donât want to gush out unwanted details, a simple, âIâll get better!â or âIâm trusting the Lord!â or âIâm blessed, no matter what!â are some of the possible responses. If the person is unknown to you, or too busy to stop for discovery, theyâll go on. If, however, they respond, âTell me about it!â you will know God placed that person in your path to comfort you.
Letâs rip off the mask and get real!
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