How Do I Wear All These Hats?

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

When we have a variety of hats to wear–roles to play–we have a juggling act to do that can be challenging at times.

What are some of these potential dangers and pitfalls that face us in this new era where we are expected and required to wear several hats?

First of all, frequently we try to make our hats–or some hat we're trying to acquire–meet our needs. We all have within us an incredible void, a deep spot way down inside that longs to be satisfied. And so often we get this crazy idea that one of these hats will meet that need. We try our best to force one of our hats into that empty void, or we try to get some hat we don't have, convinced that a new role, a new identity, a different set of circumstances will scratch that itch way down inside us.

For ten years I did just that, convinced at times that the right man with the right credentials could meet that deep need. But again and again I was disappointed. There were times when I thought that my career hat might be able to meet my need. So, I climbed the ladder higher, with more recognition and more money. I bought more clothes; I bought bigger houses to impress myself and others. But it all left me with that emptiness still gaping inside me, longing to be filled.

Then several years ago, at the end of my rope, I finally had to face the fact that even when I got what I thought I wanted, even when the hat met my qualifications, it didn't meet my needs.

Are you trying to find in your hats–in your roles–a fulfillment that they can never, never give you? That's not an accident. God has made us with a void that can be filled only with Himself.

Do you want to be free from that driving, consuming need to find a hat that meets your needs? Are you frustrated and tired of being continually disappointed as you discover that the latest acquisition or change didn't give you what you expected? As one who spent many years in that frustrating condition, I want to tell you that there is an answer, and it's found in a person, Jesus Christ. He is the One who is qualified to fill the void, to scratch the itch, to give you peace and contentment.