Loved

You will not believe what I saw!

                It was an invasion!  

Last spring I traveled with my mom and daughter to a baby shower in Louisville, Ky.

No - I did not see an invasion of pregnant women or babies, though I would probably like that.
It was not too much bourbon. I hear that is a Kentucky thing.

It was HATS



Hats
              Hats
                              Hats


    Everywhere!

Ok - Not EVERYwhere.

But, I walked passed three boutiques.  Hats - in every window.  I walked into a department store. Hats - in every department. It was not just near ladies dresses.
Sportswear - Hats; Menswear - Hats; Lingerie - YES - Hats!

How could there be this many fancy people?
Actually, how could there be this many heads to wear the hats?

It was tempting to put one on my head. But, I have a fear of lice that I must have developed when I had my own children, because when I looked over at my 83 yr old mother, she was having a great time checking out her fancy self in the mirror with a variety of different hats.

(Apparently, that is her serious hat look) People seem to love hats, not just fancy Derby hats, but all kinds.  Hats identify you with your favorite team or your career. They can protect you from the elements or from falling objects.  They are extremely helpful when you are in a hurry and cannot pull off another day with dry shampoo.

One of my sons started collecting crazy hats when he was very young.  It all began with the "Pizza Hat" he received as a present from his aunt.  He had a Chicago Cubs hat with a plush cub head on top, a Donald Duck hat, two different Russian hats with the ear flaps, a Fred Flinstone Water Buffalo hat and many, many more.  In his teen years, he added a variety of baseball hats to his collection. Some hats are the teams he really likes. Others, he buys and wears to antagonize those in his circle of friends. (I still do not understand why Texas A & M is antagonizing to his dad).


All of this makes me think of the many hats we wear in life.   Though I would like to identify as the ladies with the beautiful Derby hats,



I feel more like the salesman in the children's book, "Caps for Sale".

With 17 hats on his head, this man could constantly be identified by what he did.  People would know him by his work. If anyone needed a cap, they would know where to get one.  

So many times this is how we see each other and ourselves.  Our identity gets wrapped up in our career or in the roles we play within our circles. I am a wife, a mother, a ministry leader, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a worker & etc. I never see myself as fancy Derby lady, but more like a hurried dry shampoo lady.  

But wait - Our value is not found in our "hats".  
Your value has nothing to do with what you "do".
It is solely dependent on who your are.

And you, my Friend, are a child of the Most High God.
     You, my Friend, are loved, personally by the Creator of the entire universe.

Nothing can separate you from God's love for you personally.  I promise! He says so over and over again in His Word. Whether you are at your best or your worst, He adores you.  He only asks you to believe Him, to put your trust in Christ.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"  I John 3:1a

So, whether you wear a fancy hat, a crazy hat, 17 hats or no hat at all,
                          Never Forget the Truth

- God's love for you is not dependent on what you "do" (or the hat your wear). He loves you constantly, simply because you are His child.