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Hang Up Your Hats...


The hustle and bustle of school has begun. Alarms to set, lunch boxes to fix, folders to sign, and bedtimes to keep. It is all a little overwhelming the first couple of weeks to be honest. 

I feel like I have a million different hats to wear, that had mostly been hung up for the summer, and now are all stacked on my head again at the same time with little time to warm up to them. Wife to Jamie, Mama at home, Mrs.Cooper at work, Miss Maggie at church...taxi driver, activity signer-upper, etc. You know what I mean.

Now don't get me wrong, I love new school year beginnings. There is excitement and fun and newness and nervous anticipation of what's to come. But there is also a little sorrow to see the summer go, sadness at facing the fact that my babies are continuing to grow up, and definitely a lot of sighing at the amount that needs to be done in a very short day.

Last night a friend texted and said I looked a little "stressed and frazzled" earlier, and she wanted to make sure I was ok. I thought I was pulling off the cool, calm, and collected thing pretty well, but apparently not! Ha! So, I realized I needed to just spend some time with the Lord. 

And y'all, He is so good.

I am reading through Isaiah right now, and this jumped off the page:

"They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away."
Isaiah 35:10

Instead of leaving my mind fixed on the here and now, the Lord gave me a beautiful picture of what is to come when we get to be with Jesus. He refreshed my soul and changed my perspective back to an eternal one.

All of those hats I am wearing now will be replaced y'all! The ones that sometimes weigh me down, the ones that cause stress and worry at times, and even the ones that bring me great earthly joy...they are going to be replaced with an amazing crown of everlasting joy!

There won't be any more "stressed and frazzled"looks on this girl! I will be overtaken with gladness and joy...all of my sorrow and sighing will flee away! Doesn't that just make your heart happy?

I can't count how many times I have sighed today...and I'm a generally joyful person!
I sighed when I had to roll out of bed after being up in the night...I sighed when I ran out of coke...I sighed looking at the mountain of papers/planning when I got to work this morning..I sighed when Hazel came and said, "Wook Mommy! I writed all over myself!!!" With. a . bright. purple. marker.

Yall, life throws new hats at us every day.
Some we bring on ourselves, and some that are just tossed on top.

But no matter what hats you are wearing today, REMEMBER:

There is a crown of EVERLASTING JOY waiting for you!
Set those earthly hats down every now and then. 
Hang 'em on the hat rack if you need to.

Take a time out from the world and spend time with Jesus.
And let Him fit you for your crown.
Joy, pure joy, that only He can give, is waiting.













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