As women, we wear many hats. Jobs in and out of the home, caring for our families, and taking on various roles in our churches and schools. We are always coming up with ways in which we want and need to put on a new hat. All of these require our energies, our talents, and if we are honest; our hearts. Throughout our lives, many of these hats take on precious qualities but often there is that one little thing that is left out. We forget ourselves.

 but….I Love my hat!

Like most of you, I have lived my life loving those hats on my head, but there were times they became heavy and burdensome as I juggled the many roles and responsibilities that entailed. It was then the Lord very poignantly brought to my attention, we were called to be His: first! No hats! Once that sank in, and let me tell you it took some time for it to sink in, I was humbled. Because what it actually meant was He wanted “me.” He wanted to spend time with “me.” He wanted to hear about “me.” Before I could be a good wife, mother, friend, worker, volunteer, educator, servant, leader, etc., you get the picture. Before I could be anything else at all, and I do mean anything, I had to sit with the Lord and just be “me” in His presence; absorbing His words, and talking. And what was really difficult, I noticed the more hats I had on my head and the longer I had worn a particular hat the harder it was to remove in order to sit down with my Lord…now why is that?

 Just be “Me”…

Could it be that we forget how valuable we are to Him? Isn’t that funny. We are so busy, so caught up with “our hats” or the title that the hat brings we actually forget the value in us comes from the Lord. We gain strength when our hats are off.

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Stop and think of that for a moment, or maybe should I ask, can you think of that? Can you realize that YOU are valuable without a hat, without a title? Can you remember or allow yourself to imagine that girl inside of you that the Lord created? Who is she? Do you remember; what makes her smile? If the Lord were sitting across from her at the table right at this moment, what would they talk about? Nothing is too silly…nothing is out of bounds! Remember, He is “your Lord!” He knows your dreams and your desires but He also knows your gifts and talents: He created you. Those are the very things that are at the core of the beginning of your existence; it is where you started. And your uniqueness is a great place to begin a wonderful conversation, so why not give it a try? Grab a cup of coffee, and head out on the porch, the Lord is always waiting there: remember…

HAT’S OFF.

For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139: 13-14a (NIV)