Who did you dress up as this Halloween? Batman? One of the Avengers? Abby Sciuto from "N.C.I.S."? A minion from "Despicable Me"? Me, I painted half my face to look like one of the Mexican Day of the Dead masks. I know from experience that it's fun to put together a costume and pretend to be someone (or something) else for a night.

I've never been one to celebrate Halloween as a holiday, but the idea of dressing up and being a different person for a night has always seemed so fun to me. Who doesn't like to dress up like their favorite superhero or fictional character for a night?

Every year, it seems like there's always that one person whose costume is so well put together that you hardly recognize the person underneath the Halloween makeup or mask. I distinctly remember being at Union's annual Costume Coffee House party last year, and having to really look at people to be able to tell who the person in the costume was. Some people I recognized right away, and for others, it took me a couple of minutes to realize which of my friends was the one dressed as Russell from Disney's movie "Up." I also remember that there were a few people I was never able to recognize because their costume covered their face or changed their appearance so much. I couldn't have identified them if my life depended on it.

As I thought about all of the different Halloween costumes and how hard it was to recognize some of my friends underneath their masks and makeup, I couldn't help but make a connection between the costumes people wear on Halloween and the way people live their lives on a daily basis.

While many of us enjoy playing the part of a character for one night each year, how many of us continue to play the part of a different person or character year-round? It doesn't take a holiday like Halloween to get people to put on a mask.

I'm not talking about deception or lies, or even intentionally creating false personas of ourselves for the people around us. We all have a mask that we wear. We hide our insecurities, our weaknesses, and our shortcomings. We cover up the aspects of ourselves with which we are uncomfortable, and we keep our struggles to ourselves. So often, we hide from others the struggles that we face.

Why do we cover up? Maybe we don't want to look as weak as we feel. Perhaps we don't want our friends or family to be disappointed in us, or for others to look down on us. Maybe we don't want others to feel sorry for us. Maybe we feel like we always have to keep it together, be perfect, set the example, and be strong. People, for a number of reasons, feel the need to hide their struggles from others.

We wear a mask to shield ourselves from the world around us. If others don't know our struggles, we look strong and put together. Showing our weaknesses or faults creates opportunity for people to be disappointed in us. Heaven forbid we show anyone things about ourselves that would suggest we don't have everything figured out in life.

This mask that we wear to protect ourselves from exposure actually hinders us from getting the support we need in times of trial and hardship. This mindset of hiding our struggles and frustrations seems especially harmful in Christian circles. Sometimes, I think many Christians feel the need to put their best foot forward; to show the world all of the good things about life as a believer, but the hard truth of the matter is that even as a Christian, life is hard. We live in a fallen world and will inevitably endure trying times and face many challenges. Struggles are a part of life, but they're not a part of life that we can get through alone.

Some situations are too much for one person to face alone. We need a loving, encouraging support group standing behind us. If we keep pretending that we have life figured out and keep hiding our struggles, how will those closest to us know how to pray for us or build us up during our struggle?

I'm not suggesting that we start sharing all of our deepest, most personal secrets and struggles with the entire world. What I am suggesting is that maybe we focus too much on looking good to those around us and forget that, just like us, nobody else is perfect either. It's okay to make mistakes or have a bad day. It's okay that you're going through a really hard time, or that you're struggling to keep it all together. It's okay because everyone else has been there, or will be there at some point in their life.

You don't have to be perfect. Nobody else is.

Stop hiding your struggles and trials. Go to a close friend or family member and be open about what you're going through. Sometimes, the most helpful thing to do is sit down and just talk about your feelings and struggles with someone who cares.

If you take off your mask long enough for someone to see your pain or struggle, you may find that you actually have a pretty incredible support system of friends and family who love you and want to be there for you.

Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Take off your mask and stop wearing your Halloween costume year-round.