What hat do I wear today?

Martha Brangenberg Nov. 25, 2022

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As a little girl, I had an extensive hat collection. I'm pretty sure it started because someone told me I looked good in a hat. The red sunbonnet made from bandana material made me feel sweet and old-fashioned.

I loved wearing the patchworked, floppy sunhat to shade my face when relaxing outside. I splurged on a black felt Fedora to wear to the eighth-grade disco dance. My hat collection's crowning jewel had to be the coveted maroon and gold sombrero worn only as a costume and clumsy to display!

The hat tree in my bedroom held dozens of options, but I could only wear one at a time, and the one selected depended on my activities.

Hats can symbolize a specific time in history, a fashion statement, a culture, or a purpose. No matter which hat is on my head, I am still the same person underneath. I may look different based on which hat I am wearing, but I am still 100% the same person.

The same is true of our lives—we wear many symbolic hats. I may be making lunches, posting journal entries, merchandising a store, teaching a small group Bible study, or hosting an interview, but it's all the same person doing these things! God has given me many different roles to fill but one life to live. It would be exhausting to change hats all day long.

So, I ask myself these questions:

• What hat represents my role as a Jesus-follower?
• Would I take it off before I put another one on?
• Would I put another hat on top of my "faith hat" and hide it?
• Should my faith hat be a part of my daily wardrobe, no matter what job I am doing?

Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand-new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!" (TLB). If this is true for me, and Jesus changes me, then I have a permanent hat to wear, and according to the Bible, it's a crown(2 Tim. 4:8).

I can wear this crown everywhere I go and for everything I do. This crown is integrated into my wardrobe and sets the environment forallthat I do.Just think, no more hat changes,
and we get to wear a tiara every day.

In life, women change roles like I used to change hats—often! We may have so many parts we don't even know which hat we are wearing. It can be confusing and tiring to keep changing hats. There is a better way to handle this.

According to Psalms 139:13, He knit us together in our mother's womb. I am not separate pieces but entirely knit together. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (NLT).

Our Creator wants to be involved in every detail of our lives, not segmented pieces, but everypart.

When I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, He didn't save me just for Sunday morning. Jesus changed me completely, all of me, every minute of every day and every detail of my life.

This is good news.

I can do everything wearing the same hat. Just start the day with the crown and leave it on all day. This crown is to be worn everywhere I go and for everything I do. It is integrated into my being and sets the environment for all that I encounter.

I'll wear my crown on a Zoom call, in the grocery store, in traffic, taking out the trash, when I post on social media, answering emails, and everywhere in between.

It's time to integrate Jesus into every aspect of life as a Christian working woman.

sheWorks4Himwill help us see how to wear the crown all day every day. God is giving us a front-row seat to learn from the lives of over a dozen wonderful Christian working women. Some days our crown might be crooked or need to be polished, but that is why we need each other. I'll straighten your crown if you straighten mine.

My view of hats has changed over the years, and I currently only have one hat in my closet: a casual baseball cap that I wear on occasion. I think it's time to trade it in and get a tiara!

Excerpt fromsheWorks4Him: Embrace Your Calling As a Christian Woman at Work,by Jim and Martha Brangenberg, Copyright 2021. Used with permission.

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Martha Brangenberg is a gifted developer and communicator, who has worked alongside her husband, Jim, in various entrepreneurial ventures over their 35+ years of marriage. In 2013, God called them to begin the iWork4Him Talk Show, where they have had the privilege of challenging thousands across the globe with the simple message that your workplace is your mission field. In addition, she and Jim have co-authored a series of collaborative books, iWork4Him, sheWorks4Him, and iRetire4Him. Learn More »

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