God’s Heavenly Hat Shop

Ah—what charm! What elegance! What class! Nothing compares to a lady in her hat. We love them all—big, bold, bright, beautiful, wide brim, straw, canvas, floppy, jeweled, or lace. We wear hats for every occasion—gardening, shopping, going to church, to the ball game, or just working around the house. In the temporal sense, we select them very carefully to accessorize our attire; each hat must look and feel right.

The entertaining children’s book, Caps for Sale,¹shares a humorous illustration of a merchant wearing scores of hats stacked on top of his head as he walks through the fictitious town attempting to sell his wares. This image reminds me of the many hats that we, as women, often wear in a single day.

The sheer number (and variety) of hats we are called to wear can be overwhelming. Nonetheless, we understand the value of each one, and treasure the identity and direction that each provides. As mothers, we daily don the hats of supervisor, adviser, nurse, counselor, disciplinarian, comforter, teacher, and homemaker. We wear the cook’s hat, the maid’s hat, the banker’s hat, and hats of sisters, daughters, wives, lovers, and friends. Unmarried women wear the additional hats of breadwinners and sometimes the “Dad” hat.

Each hat we wear requires a different skill set and demands an intense level of responsibility. While we treasure the identity, the focus, and the protection our hats provide, the weight of each can often drain us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But, our God understands. As the Great I Am, He too wears different hats. He promises to be whatever we need Him to be, and to help us manage all He has entrusted to us. In God’s Heavenly Hat Shop, He freely supplies whatever is needed to accessorize our lives, because He knows what we need andwhat we desire. Here we can find:

• A shiny helmet of salvationis available to protect our thoughts and imaginations from the daily battles in our minds (see Ephesians 6:17).
• A crown of loving kindnessis available to beautify us with salvation and lift our heads from feelings of loneliness and insecurity (see Psalms 103:4).
• A beautiful headdress of glory is offered in place of ashesto replace moments of sadness; as the oil of gladness anoints us with good things (see Isaiah 61:3 ).
• A feathery wing coveringcan be found to shield us during potentially dangerous situations (see Psalms 91:4).
• A beret of peace is offeredfor seasons of stress and difficulties(see Isaiah 26:3).
• A blood-red bonnet is available when faced with illness and life-threatening circumstances (see Exodus 12:13; Romans. 4:7)
• A fedora of favoris free for seasons of transition. It illuminates when we enter new settings—employment, church, and social circles (see Psalms 5:12; 23:5; 84:11).
• A Holy Spirit headpiecesupplies a covering of wisdom and guidance; and cloven tongues of fire cover our prayers with leadership and comfort during times of confusion and grief (see Acts 2:3-4; Romans 8:26-27).
• Finally, the victor’s crownis freely given when personal, physical, financial, and spiritual struggles and loss have been overcome. This covering of gold and jewels epitomizes our royalty as His daughters (see Revelation 3:21).

So, welcome to God’s Heavenly Hat Shop—where all needed covering is free—regardless of marital, financial, or social status. This Divine Millinery is open and He will personally custom-fit each and every customer. He has you covered and the hats look good on you!

Notes:

¹ Slobodkina, Esophyr. Caps for Sale.New York: Harper & Row, [1985], ©1947.