Is That Your Hat?
I was truly exhausted, but that really wasn’t an excuse for the way my mind was wandering. I think in my day dream, I had wandered so far that I might have lifted my arm in real live time to hold on to my only-in-my-dream hat. Actually, I was sitting hatless, in a women’s conference, listening to a beautiful, stately woman of God, teach on trusting Him more. And she was good. Real good. It might have been her illustration about her beautiful, wide brimmed yellow hat that sent me a dreamin. The last thing I heard her say was “…you don’t mess with a black woman and her hat.” That did it. Suddenly, I was wandering through a beautiful countryside of wild flowers. My long skirt was swaying in the wind. I reached up to hold my beautiful, wide brimmed hat…
I love hats.
There is something about this season…spring, Easter, May flowers and hats…
I’ve worn a few hats in my day. I clearly remember the hat that drew so much attention to me that I gave it its own seat on the pew beside me in church. We had traveled for a couple of hours in the hot car to get to the church where my husband was to preach. Our children were young and fussy. (That dates this story to be about 30 years old.) We arrived a little too late for Sunday School and sat in the car while my husband reviewed his message and the kids had a little snack. I’m not sure if it was wonder, amazement, horror, curiosity, or some conglomeration of thoughts that raced through my mind as I watched women coming and going to church barefoot! We were in the states! New York to be exact! Instantly I began to feel conspicuous in my white heels, white and yellow dress and you guessed it – my sassy, wide brimmed hat. Needless to say, by the time I sang my solo, I was not only clueless, but hatless and barefoot. This was in my ‘securely insecure’ days, and the hat that should have been a fashion statement, was still making a statement I am sure, but probably not of fashion. Why did I wear that hat anyway? Why did I always try to please everyone else?
I am also not sure why our son walked in the house one day in his teen age years, wearing a weird hat. Another fad, I guess. Well, there was really nothing at all weird about that hat. Weird was just what I called it. It simply did not seem like the hat and the son matched. My father taught us the little rhyme “My hat it has three corners; three corners has my hat; and had it not three corners, it would not be my hat.” And this one just did not seem like his hat.
Have you ever caught yourself judging a hat? What are the standards used to justly judge a hat? Or how often have we judged the person wearing the hat, and used the hat as the judging standard? “He must be_____ because look at the hat he’s wearing.” Or “She surely is _________because look at her now.”
There are hats of necessity. (In my view, a motorcycle helmet would be one. I tried to put that message into a young man last week. His smile said, “Yah! Sure…uh…uh…right.”) A few years ago, on a mission trip, on the morning we were to catch our plane from the island back into Belize City, our alarm clock did not go off. Vickie and I wore hats of necessity. With no time for shower and blow dry, our little visors did just the necessary thing to make our hair appear ‘done’.
Then there are also cover-up hats. Often, a ‘cover-up hat’ is only a cover-up to you. Most people knew that my daughter wore her classy turbans because the cancer treatments had taken her hair. But she felt covered!
And of course, there are hats like those of a chef, a policeman, or a nurse that do speak clearly of who you are suppose to be, and what you are supposed to be doing.
A few years ago, a pastor spoke the word of the Lord to me. Then he said, “When you move to Texas, God is going to require you to wear many hats. Some of them will be bigger than you’ve ever imagined, or wanted to wear. They may not even seem like you or your style. But you will wear them. You will get comfortable in them. And God will use every one of them to bring you into what He desires and to bring others into His plan.” I knew he wasn’t talking about hats, but about places I would serve the Lord.
Now, years later, I look back and think of all the hats (figuratively) that I’ve worn. Sometimes I feel that I’m collecting hats. Some I wear daily, some regularly, some once in a while, and some only when I must. There are also some that I’ve only gazed at through the window of life, and longed for the time they would be mine. And there are others I wish I had never worn. But isn’t it interesting that often hats seem to change with seasons.
I think that one of the reasons that we get weary in well doing, is that in the real world in which we live, we rarely get to wear only one hat at a time. Most of the time, we have nothing less than a small stack on our head and extra weight on our shoulders. Even as you read this article, you may be wearing a chief’s hat, a hard hat, a taxi driver’s cap, and a nurse’s cap all at once.
Regardless of what hat (hats) you are wearing, or what position you find yourself in, it is only by God’s grace that you stand. It is His peace, His confidence, and His joy that cause the hat to fit. His grace and His beauty make that hat look good on you, or make you fit that position. The Word even tells us that it is God who gives us promotion, success, and position. Even if you don’t think you fit, if He places you there, it will be right, for you, and those around you.
I think that the main question is: Is that your hat? Is it in season? Is it the one you are to wear today (this hour)? Is that what you are supposed to be doing? Too often we get so busy that we forget that it is o.k. to say ‘no’. Instead we just keep adding to our to-do list. Sure, I’ll get my house cleaned, laundry done (including ironing), dinner made, speak at the meeting, make the handouts, oh yes, I can pick up sister Mary, and sister Cathy, and yes, I’ll pray for the women and I’ll be back in time to babysit the grand children. Wow! Just thinking about it makes my shoulders sag, and my head lean slightly out of balance. But I’ve been there…worn that one. You’d think that when we can’t “serve the Lord with gladness”, we might not be serving Him.
As if it was yesterday, and not thirty years ago, I remember the words of a well-seasoned
saint, that fell into my weary, overwhelmed heart. She said: “Gal. 1:10 says:…”
Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Version)
I am not trying to please people. I want to please God. Do you think I am trying to please people? If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Contemporary English)
When we find ourselves weary and overwhelmed, we need to remind ourselves that it is Christ we are aiming to please. And stop to look in the mirror of His Word. It might just be that the hat you are wearing is not ‘in season’ at the moment. Or perhaps after a glance or two you may just realize… “No. That is not my hat.”
I love hats.
There is something about this season…spring, Easter, May flowers and hats…
I’ve worn a few hats in my day. I clearly remember the hat that drew so much attention to me that I gave it its own seat on the pew beside me in church. We had traveled for a couple of hours in the hot car to get to the church where my husband was to preach. Our children were young and fussy. (That dates this story to be about 30 years old.) We arrived a little too late for Sunday School and sat in the car while my husband reviewed his message and the kids had a little snack. I’m not sure if it was wonder, amazement, horror, curiosity, or some conglomeration of thoughts that raced through my mind as I watched women coming and going to church barefoot! We were in the states! New York to be exact! Instantly I began to feel conspicuous in my white heels, white and yellow dress and you guessed it – my sassy, wide brimmed hat. Needless to say, by the time I sang my solo, I was not only clueless, but hatless and barefoot. This was in my ‘securely insecure’ days, and the hat that should have been a fashion statement, was still making a statement I am sure, but probably not of fashion. Why did I wear that hat anyway? Why did I always try to please everyone else?
I am also not sure why our son walked in the house one day in his teen age years, wearing a weird hat. Another fad, I guess. Well, there was really nothing at all weird about that hat. Weird was just what I called it. It simply did not seem like the hat and the son matched. My father taught us the little rhyme “My hat it has three corners; three corners has my hat; and had it not three corners, it would not be my hat.” And this one just did not seem like his hat.
Have you ever caught yourself judging a hat? What are the standards used to justly judge a hat? Or how often have we judged the person wearing the hat, and used the hat as the judging standard? “He must be_____ because look at the hat he’s wearing.” Or “She surely is _________because look at her now.”
There are hats of necessity. (In my view, a motorcycle helmet would be one. I tried to put that message into a young man last week. His smile said, “Yah! Sure…uh…uh…right.”) A few years ago, on a mission trip, on the morning we were to catch our plane from the island back into Belize City, our alarm clock did not go off. Vickie and I wore hats of necessity. With no time for shower and blow dry, our little visors did just the necessary thing to make our hair appear ‘done’.
Then there are also cover-up hats. Often, a ‘cover-up hat’ is only a cover-up to you. Most people knew that my daughter wore her classy turbans because the cancer treatments had taken her hair. But she felt covered!
And of course, there are hats like those of a chef, a policeman, or a nurse that do speak clearly of who you are suppose to be, and what you are supposed to be doing.
A few years ago, a pastor spoke the word of the Lord to me. Then he said, “When you move to Texas, God is going to require you to wear many hats. Some of them will be bigger than you’ve ever imagined, or wanted to wear. They may not even seem like you or your style. But you will wear them. You will get comfortable in them. And God will use every one of them to bring you into what He desires and to bring others into His plan.” I knew he wasn’t talking about hats, but about places I would serve the Lord.
Now, years later, I look back and think of all the hats (figuratively) that I’ve worn. Sometimes I feel that I’m collecting hats. Some I wear daily, some regularly, some once in a while, and some only when I must. There are also some that I’ve only gazed at through the window of life, and longed for the time they would be mine. And there are others I wish I had never worn. But isn’t it interesting that often hats seem to change with seasons.
I think that one of the reasons that we get weary in well doing, is that in the real world in which we live, we rarely get to wear only one hat at a time. Most of the time, we have nothing less than a small stack on our head and extra weight on our shoulders. Even as you read this article, you may be wearing a chief’s hat, a hard hat, a taxi driver’s cap, and a nurse’s cap all at once.
Regardless of what hat (hats) you are wearing, or what position you find yourself in, it is only by God’s grace that you stand. It is His peace, His confidence, and His joy that cause the hat to fit. His grace and His beauty make that hat look good on you, or make you fit that position. The Word even tells us that it is God who gives us promotion, success, and position. Even if you don’t think you fit, if He places you there, it will be right, for you, and those around you.
I think that the main question is: Is that your hat? Is it in season? Is it the one you are to wear today (this hour)? Is that what you are supposed to be doing? Too often we get so busy that we forget that it is o.k. to say ‘no’. Instead we just keep adding to our to-do list. Sure, I’ll get my house cleaned, laundry done (including ironing), dinner made, speak at the meeting, make the handouts, oh yes, I can pick up sister Mary, and sister Cathy, and yes, I’ll pray for the women and I’ll be back in time to babysit the grand children. Wow! Just thinking about it makes my shoulders sag, and my head lean slightly out of balance. But I’ve been there…worn that one. You’d think that when we can’t “serve the Lord with gladness”, we might not be serving Him.
As if it was yesterday, and not thirty years ago, I remember the words of a well-seasoned
saint, that fell into my weary, overwhelmed heart. She said: “Gal. 1:10 says:…”
Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Version)
I am not trying to please people. I want to please God. Do you think I am trying to please people? If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Contemporary English)
When we find ourselves weary and overwhelmed, we need to remind ourselves that it is Christ we are aiming to please. And stop to look in the mirror of His Word. It might just be that the hat you are wearing is not ‘in season’ at the moment. Or perhaps after a glance or two you may just realize… “No. That is not my hat.”
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