So here is a little advice: when cleverly naming your blog, make sure you can pronounce it. Just a thought. Moving on. After recently figuring out how to pronounce Millinery, I was sharing with a few friends why I chose the name. It's a hat shop and I loved the idea of a blog to explore all the hats we wear as women and even "try a few on" by reading the experience of others. Then a thought occurred to me: what if you, my readers, have misinterpreted one aspect of my little analogy?
If you've read much of this blog at all, you are aware of my love for Jesus. That I believe the gospel has changed my life and applies to everything- at least, I hope and pray that's obvious. But, I do want to clarify one thing: Being a christian is NOT another hat we put on. You know, time to take off the wife hat and put on the Jesus hat for church on Sunday. Or time to take off the Jesus hat and put on the Soccer Mom hat on Saturday. (As a side note, what would a Jesus hat even look like? Some big feathery wide brimmed hat with a blinking WWJD on the brim and a Lifeway logo on the back?)
If you thought I was saying Jesus is just another role we play or piece of our identity as women, I have sorely failed. Let me be clear: Jesus, in my analogy, is the hat box. Every other role we play, comes out of that box. He is not just part of my identity; all the parts of who I am are found in and through Him. 2 Peter 1:3 says we have "everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own power and goodness." He called us and he equips us to wear every hat in the shop that we wear. If I try to wear a hat (be a good wife, mom, daughter, employee, etc.) apart from my knowledge of Christ (who He is, what He says about me, what He has done for me) I may succeed but I will miss my Savior. I will instead look to one of those roles to save me, to give my life meaning, to define me. And that is a scary amount of weight to place on anything but Jesus.
Okay, thanks for letting me clarify and now with my worker hat on, I'm off to Branches.
If you've read much of this blog at all, you are aware of my love for Jesus. That I believe the gospel has changed my life and applies to everything- at least, I hope and pray that's obvious. But, I do want to clarify one thing: Being a christian is NOT another hat we put on. You know, time to take off the wife hat and put on the Jesus hat for church on Sunday. Or time to take off the Jesus hat and put on the Soccer Mom hat on Saturday. (As a side note, what would a Jesus hat even look like? Some big feathery wide brimmed hat with a blinking WWJD on the brim and a Lifeway logo on the back?)
If you thought I was saying Jesus is just another role we play or piece of our identity as women, I have sorely failed. Let me be clear: Jesus, in my analogy, is the hat box. Every other role we play, comes out of that box. He is not just part of my identity; all the parts of who I am are found in and through Him. 2 Peter 1:3 says we have "everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own power and goodness." He called us and he equips us to wear every hat in the shop that we wear. If I try to wear a hat (be a good wife, mom, daughter, employee, etc.) apart from my knowledge of Christ (who He is, what He says about me, what He has done for me) I may succeed but I will miss my Savior. I will instead look to one of those roles to save me, to give my life meaning, to define me. And that is a scary amount of weight to place on anything but Jesus.
Okay, thanks for letting me clarify and now with my worker hat on, I'm off to Branches.
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