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

Brownies

When I was in grade school it was my great distinction to be a Brownie. You remember… the first step to becoming a Girl Scout, a pea-sized imitation of one of the most incredible honors on earth (or at least that’s what it seemed like in my young mind). Okay so…my older sister was already a Girl Scout and “OH MY!” did she ever appear to be important when she put on her Girl Scout uniform and sash. The whole “get-up” left her looking, well…stunning! There she would stand before me like Queen Elizabeth when she was decked out in her official Scottish kilt, plaid sash, badges, buttons, and pins…gleaming like the sun! Oh, how I wanted to be in that official uniform some day.

My best friend in grade school was Susan Edwards. I loved her. We had many happy days together, but there was one HUGE problem…she was a Bluebird-the pea-sized version of a Camp Fire Girl and the arch enemy of the Girl Scouts. I still recall wearing our opposing uniforms to school. In the hallways of Lou Stubbs Elementary, there was sisterly “love in the air” on Monday through Friday… EXCEPT on uniform day.

Susan and I actually survived it all…she eventually moved away, and we grew up.* The memory that made all the difference for me was that I was not able to become a Girl Scout. I became ill and was forced to resign my “commission” with the glorious club. It was a bitter disappointment in which I still feel the sting every now and then.

Our lives are full of these “stings”…the sting of disappointment, the heartache of dreams not fulfilled, possibilities gone, hurts not healed. These are stings much bigger than the crash of my Girl Scout career.

“Christ is building His Kingdom with the broken things of earth. People desire only the strong, successful, victorious, and unbroken things in life to build their kingdoms, but God is the God of the unsuccessful-the God of those who have failed...He can lift earth’s saddest failure up to heaven’s glory.” (J. R. Miller)

As I studied I Samuel 17, I was intrigued with a character that I had overlooked. David was still a young shepherd boy when he was summoned by his father to check on his brothers as they fought for Saul. Goliath, the Philistine champion had come to defy the armies of the Living God. David was appalled that the Israelite armies were worried about this “small” problem. You see, for David, the physical size of this large warrior was not the issue…the problem was the “size” of Goliath’s mouth. Defying the Lord Jehovah and His Kingship was just too much for David. As you know, God took care of the problem through this young shepherd who had placed Him first in his heart. Now to the character whom I had overlooked…Eliab, David’s oldest brother. Eliab overheard the young shepherd claiming a victory for the Lord. His reaction to his younger brother was one of “burning anger”. Eliab poked fun, called David conceited…claiming him to be wicked (vs. 28). So much for brotherly love. As David saw it, he had a bigger job to do than listen to the “sting” of his brother’s comments. Hurts and disappointments are but one of the vehicles that the evil one will use on us. He wields his wand of insecurity at us all, knowing that we can be paralyzed to the point of becoming inactive for the Master and His work. The Marquis of Salisbury, an English diplomat, upon being criticized for his colonial polices, replied, “Gentlemen, get larger maps!” I love this statement because there is always going to be someone who wants your map to be smaller…in other words, if opposition is inevitable for you as a child of God, DON’T give in to it. Get a larger map, walk with confidence…your great God has called you to the battle field, and He can take care of the “stings” that dare to freeze you.

Is someone hurting you? Is someone speaking unfairly against you or your family? (Ps. 37:1) Are the people that you believed in disappointing you with their inability to stand next to you? Remember that the God who commands the universe is YOUR defending warrior! (Ex.15:2-3) He is steady and sure! (2 Peter 1:3-4)

“Your Rock is Christ, and it is the sea that ebbs and flows with the tide, NOT Him.” (Samuel Rutherford)

It is true…I never had the chance to earn my glorious Girl Scout uniform, but I DID get a few good stories out of the whole experience. The experiences that the Lord allows you to walk through are really the KEY! He loves to feel you snuggle up even closer through all the stings of life (remember it wasn’t His idea for the world to be lost in sin). He won’t let go of you!

Ladies…get larger maps!

I love you all...have a great day!

lori

*Susan and I are now friends on Facebook….isn’t that neat?

The First Ladies of GVBA

Ok....you are not being asked to make a run for the White House, although it would be fun to decorate...think of the budget you would have!  This blog is so named because of a very special thing that happened to me a few years ago.  As a young pastor's wife, I had many lessons to learn and many things yet to experience.  We were serving in our first church after Tim had graduated from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, and everything was new and different...you probably know exactly what I am talking about!  On one of the very first Sundays in our new church, I walked into the auditorium only to be singled out with a loud proclamation ..."There she is, she is coming down the aisle now....my First Lady".  Well, you can imagine I started looking for a very special guest from Washington DC!  I looked around in anticipation then realized that she was talking to me!   Later, this precious African American woman explained that in the "Black" congregations the pastor's wife was called "The First Lady" of the church...a distinction of great honor!  Well, from that point on, for many years  I was Madge's First Lady.  It was a true blessing to be that for her!   I have continued to love the ministry of being  "The First Lady."

This is a distinction that you also hold!  You are a very special woman, not only to the Lord and your family, but also to the people of your husband's ministry.  Now... we all know that this sounds GREAT, but along with this honor also comes MANY challenges, MANY hills to climb, MANY valleys to travel.  It is my hope that our on-line devotional time and this blog will serve as a time of sharing, growing, loving, crying, screaming, laughing, and most of all honoring our Lord Jesus as we share our ministry experiences together.

The "First Ladies" blog and devotions are still a process in the works, but I am very excited about it all and look forward to what the Lord has for us!   

I love each of you dearly...you are my heroes! 

lori