Wednesday Wonder – January 10, 2024

What hats do you wear?

Yes, sometimes my mind goes in weird directions. This past Sunday I was talking about epiphanies; those aha! moments we often have which bring clarity and understanding. I mentioned about finding your purpose and how once found, we often get an epiphany to assure us we are in the right place.

This led to thinking about all the hats we wear, or roles we play, if you would rather. And how our understanding of our purpose can shift throughout our lives. This, of course, led me down a rabbit hole of sorts.

What hats/roles have I had during my life? I began as daughter, granddaughter, niece and cousin. Those are roles I remember quite clearly and enjoyed having. After five and a half years of being daughter I then added the big sister hat. Wasn’t a role I relished at the time, but she grew on me. Sister then became sister-in-law and aunt. I enjoy that last one. Of course, through all of this there was student, figure skater, choir member, Sunday school teacher and the various other roles that an enthusiastic young person takes on at school, church and elsewhere.

When I got married, I donned the wife hat, but really it did not look like the traditional hat many women wore, much to the chagrin of my in-laws. Very quickly after the role of minister became mine. Even that title has changed with time as I served in different places. It is a role that is pretty all encompassing for my life. Often it seems to others that I have no other identity. I have always enjoyed running into the children of a congregation at some place like the grocery store and hearing them ask their parent if it is okay for me to be away from the church, or to have them ask me if I live there. Funny what assumptions and expectations are made about our spiritual leaders at times.

Over the years, making an intentional effort to not let minister be my only identity has been difficult. Once I answered the call to ministry (more on that this Sunday, so you may want to attend) my epiphany was that it truly was where my meaning and purpose lay. Not always an easy role to play, but always where God calls me back to when I struggle.

Still, there has been time to take on some new roles. I am now mother-in-law, with a firm commitment to be the mother-in-law I always wanted with a close relationship to my daughter-in-law. Jamie tells me I am doing fine with that. And, as I have been happy to continually announce, my greatest role yet – Granny! Every time I see and hold Damon my new purpose becomes clear. I know most grandparents would say the same, many of you have!

So, what epiphanies have you had in your life? What is your latest purpose? We all continue to wear many hats and play many roles at the same time. They are never mutually exclusive. Different people experience us in different ways because we interact with them from different perspectives. We often experience God in the same way. Our relationship with God goes through stages just like we do. But, for me, the one constant I have always found is a role that all of us have throughout our entire lives. That is the role of friend. From very early on, each of us has friends. From the very beginning, God walks with us as a constant friend. Someone we can turn to for support, comfort, celebration and even fun. God’s role is that of sure friend, there for us in every age, stage and season of life.

I aspire to be a constant friend, and much more, as shown to us by God in Jesus. Other roles may come and go, but a follower of the example of Christ I will always be.

Peace,
Rev. Mary-Jane