Hats and How Many You Wear

I have always loved hats! To me they represent individuality, personal style, and character. If you want to know what a person is like, just check out their chapeau (or lack of one). Just think about it….one of the first things you notice when someone enters the room is their hair or the “hat.” It may be a funny entrance or an “Oh My!” statement, but let’s face it, the site caught your attention.

You can actually draw an historical timeline with hats…the successes and failures of a nation by the styles of hats we choose. In the 1900s proper headwear was a social must. This was the era of large masses of feathers. The men were adorned with top hats, while Europe and the US were “riding high.” Then came the 1930s and World War II. Women’s changing social morals, along with the right to vote were reflected on their heads. They bobbed their hair, placed Art Deco on the top, and faced the world with a new sense of power…then the Stock Market crashed. As a result of the country’s need to escape from their problems, women bleached their hair platinum blonde, mimicked the “movie starlets,” and wore smaller hats. The focus was on women’s bodies, not their modesty. The men were still in the race too, with the casual, yet mysterious Panama hat. With the invasion of Germany on English soil, fabric rationing was the theme of the day, and women were asked to make do with the old “modest” hat lying in the back of the closet. By the 1950s our nation was feeling safe and secure again, so the hats became soft, feminine, and floral…they all looked like Barbie! Yes, back to focusing on the whole “package!” After the 1960s and up to today, hats have come and gone (mostly gone). If you see a hat today, it usually makes an individual “splash”…one that we love to observe or one of which we make fun.

As for me, I have worn many styles, but my favorite is the “cowgirl” hat. It keeps you warm in the cold, cool in the sun, and even serves as a purse in a pinch. I can even use it for “storin’ all my poker chip winnin’s”…JUST KIDDING! Hats, in many ways, can certainly serve as a plum line for the world.

You also wear a lot of hats. Women in ministry “multi-task” with such fervor that their very lifestyle is threatened to shut down completely. You juggle the demands of your household, the everyday crises of your children, fill in all the gaps of your church programs, balance your husband’s up and down mood due to ministry success and failure…and WAY at the bottom of the list…there you are. You wonder why your “Barbie” doll hat has become so buried at the bottom of the “hope chest of life.” Everyone needs you, but no one realizes what you need.

I think that Jesus’ mother must have felt this way, also. Mary had the great honor of carrying the Son of God in her womb, but don’t forget that she also carried Him in her heart as no one else could. Through the years she watched over all of her dearly beloved children, kissed away their hurts, and educated them concerning their heritage. Mary probably endured much ridicule and blame for marrying a man who some never believed wasn’t Jesus’ father, all the while dealing with the up and down mood of her husband who was raising our Savior as his own…understanding that the Living God was under his parentage. Mary experienced all the joys and heartaches that you go through, while she wore the “hat” of deep and desperate concern for her Son and His future. She surely screamed at the end of many a day, “Enough…I can bear it no more”.

Maybe there is a lot of screaming going on in your heart, too. “Help! Is this what I signed up for?” “Someone should have explained more clearly.” I would like to share a truth that has helped me through the years. Ok…are you ready? Here it comes…TAKE OFF some of those hats! I know…you are saying that you can’t, but think again. It is true that some responsibilities need to stay firm, but in our deepest desire to serve others we tend to pile on ALL the unclaimed jobs (…you know whereof I speak). But, remember this…God calls you to work along side of Him, not running behind “picking up” for others.

In Deuteronomy 28:12-14, the Lord states that if you follow His commands, he will make you the head not the tail. The best advice that I know is to stay true to studying God’s Word and your relationship with Him. I understand that in the mix of the salad it is easy to neglect your personal time with our Lord, but if you do this you will soon see your hat stand “toppling” over. You desperately need to study God’s Word, asking His Spirit to apply it to your life. Recently I heard a health care professional say that women in ministry probably hold one of the toughest positions in life. I totally agree, but I also believe that what God calls you to is the very best for you! The strongest trees are found in the most exposed and weathered areas. You also need to have a good support system...people who will love and accept you for yourself and not those who only require something of you.

If any of these statements are ringing true, if there are tears rolling down some cheeks…don’t feel alone! Women in ministry positions and ministry wives really do go through many of the same emotions and concerns. We share a very common heartbeat…WE CARE! The problem is that we sometimes care too deeply for situations that we need to let go. Keep loving people, just adjust! Rest in who you are not…and glory in what He is!

So…Whew! Maybe this struck a chord, maybe today is the day to take off one of those hats! One thing is for sure…today is your day to KNOW that you are not lost or buried in the bottom at the Hope Chest of Life. You are greatly loved…by the only one that really matters, your dear Friend and Savior.

“If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God…and CAREFULLY follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” Deut.28:13

I love you, too. l am here if you need to scream!

lori