“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”

— John 3:16-17 (NASB)

 

Last Saturday, I was asked to speak at a women’s tea about “The Hats of Life.” It’s had me thinking about the roles we play, the labels we put on each other and the assignments we tackle. If it were not for the Biblical example of the Proverbs 31 woman, I’d try to convince you that we wear too many hats.

But the excellent wife in Proverbs 31 wore many hats: mother, sewer, teacher, saleswoman and philanthropist. You could also make a case that she’s a realtor and interior designer.

Male or female, we emulate that woman these days. Maybe your main hat is parent or breadwinner, but you might also think of yourself by hobby or sport: cyclist, scrapper, knitter or golfer. Perhaps your hats have to do with education or achievement: graduate, doctor, CPA or winner. And some of us wear hats we don’t want to: widower, unemployed or convict.

Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, wore the hostess hat and perhaps a chip on her shoulder. She learned a valuable lesson when Jesus told her only one thing was necessary: listening to His words. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t practice hospitality. Read Romans 12:13 and Hebrews 13:2.

And while many of us would like to wear a real-life tiara, the crown that Queen Esther wore allowed her to save the Jewish nation. Whatever hat you wear, you are like Esther. You are where you are now, doing what you do to make a difference. Like Esther did, you may have to pray and fast to work up the courage you need, but you are alive for a reason, for such a time as this.

Another hat we all wear is the one labeled, “Sinner.” The good news is that Jesus can yank it off and give us one that reads, “Saved.”