Which Hat Do You Love to Wear? (Ch. 4)

How Many Hats Do You Wear?
There's Only One Hat For Me! (Chapter 4)

By: M. B. "Bud" Fields, Jr. (Chaplain Bud)

Copyright(c) 2006 by Grand Organ Productions, LLC
All Rights Reserved

Jesus had a hat. Sometimes, when I think about that hat, I get really sad. It was a very special hat. It was a hat of hatred. It was a Crown. A Crown is a hat, too ya know. It’s just a special kind of hat. It’s got air conditionin’ and everything!

But, this hat was made out of thorns. I’m talkin’ big ole huge thorns. You know, the kind of thorns that will rip the flesh off ya?

How did Jesus get that hat, anyway? I mean, what’s the deal?

You’d think that Jesus, the very Son of God, would have a hat that was the best hat ever. And yet, of all the hats that Heaven had to offer, Jesus picked out the one hat that no one else would ever dare even try on. It was the ugliest, meanest, most terrible hat the World has ever known. Yet, Jesus reached into the closet of Heaven, and selected this hat. He put it on His own head. It was a perfect fit.

But, why?

“For What Earthly reason?”

With tears in my eyes as I tell you, I know the reason. I am the reason. That’s who I am, too. "The one Earthly reason--was me." And, when Jesus reached into that closet, and picked out that hat, He was looking at me. Who was He, to do such a thing?

Well, He too had a lot of hats, didn’t he? He, too was a Son, a Brother, An Uncle. He was a carpenter, and a teacher, and a public speaker. He was despised for our transgressions. He was the bright and morning Star. Jesus had so many hats, he got a different one in every single Book of the Bible! Some were good. Some were not so good, yet every one of them He wore. But, why?

The Gospel of John tells us that, when He was baptized, as Jesus came out of the water, that a Dove descended to His shoulder, and a voice from Heaven cried out:


“This is my beloved.”


The very God of Creation, spoke from Heaven, and called Jesus His Beloved.

From the beginning of time, this moment was known to God. So was the Cross. Jesus had a moment, and asked his Dad if maybe he could go without the hat. But, He was the one who picked it out. And, He allowed it to be put upon His head—for me. And, he wore it until He died.

If you look at my list (or hopefully your own), you see it’s not complete. Of all the hats I wear, every day, there’s a hat I cannot find many times. It is the one hat I should never take off. It is the one hat that I value more than any of the others. It is the one hat that I know, without doubt, I was created to wear.

Funny thing about hats. They tend to tell us where in life we are, if you think about it. Our lousy self-image has tons of hats to choose from. Our failures each have a hat. Our fears do, too. Our anger, our hopelessness, our frustrations, our confusions, our “needs”—they all have hats. Some of them are really spiffy. I know a ton of people who just can’t seem to take off their “I am a victim!” hat.

The one hat that I was born with, that I was created with, even before the foundation of the World was laid, is the one I sometimes just don't seem to feel justified to put on my head. It’s really the only hat I have that is 100 % true, 100% of the time. But, you see my friend,it is the one hat that my hands have the most trouble getting to, or putting on my head.

It is the hat that God carefully knitted for me, in my mother’s womb. It is the hat that God himself just made for me. God knew that I was gonna get to choose a lot of hats on this so short journey. And, that one hat would cover me no matter what! And, it seems like I have to go through every other hat before I’m willing to even notice it. I usually dare not touch it. I just don’t much feel worthy of wearing it.

It’s a hat made of gold. It’s a perfect fit. It says:

“I am the Beloved of God!”

I can tell you that I have never one time in my life failed, come up short, missed the mark, let someone else down, said one bad word , done one bad deed, or hurt one other soul when I wore that hat.

I never committed one single sin when that hat was on my head.

What was the first sin? What was the first sin of man?

Forgetting to wear that hat. Let's talk for just a minute, okay?

When Eve was in the garden, she heard from Satan something that she believed. When he spoke to her about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she was one of two humans who had equality with God. They were not Gods, but they had complete and total access to God as equals. Every need in the Garden was met. We call them Edenic needs. God was not a far-away spirit form of vapor and pretty drawings. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden every day. He especially liked to be with them in the cool of the day. He must have had form, because the Scriptures tell us that “they heard him approaching!” They were living the life of the Beloved!

Mankind's first sin was that Eve forgot who she was. If Satan were telling the truth, there was suddenly some superior opportunity for her, to make her MORE beloved. And, if God were keeping it from her, then He only loved her THAT much. If she had the knowledge of Good and Evil, then He would surely love her more. But, why would God tell them NOT to eat of this fruit? Satan planted the seed, and Eve went crazy with it. And Adam stood right beside her and watched her do it. I believe that in her mind, Eve's desire was no less than it had always been—to be God’s beloved! She just forgot that she already was!

Lucifer forgot this, too. In Heaven, He was “The Son of Light!” No one approached the Throne of God unless Lucifer allowed them to pass! He was closer to God than anyone! No angel was closer to God than Lucifer. And, Lucifer forgot that he was the Beloved of God. And, he got mad about it. Instead of putting on his hat, Lucifer threw it off and tried to yank God’s hat off of Him, and put it on his own head. He forgot that God is always God. Eve forgot the same thing. She, in her mind, forgot that she WAS the beloved of God.

That, to me, was the first sin.

Did you ever go to a concert, and get a hat? Isn't it just wierd how you can put on that hat, even years later, and suddenly remember the concert? It was so good at the concert! What a grand time! Eden was like that, I think. And, when Adam and Eve left the Garden, I believe they were wearing a hat too, just so they wouldn't forget. "I am the Beloved of God!" We never got to be in Eden, but we still have the same needs that Adam and Eve had in the Garden. While they were there, every need was met. God was always close by. And they were always "The Beloved". It was just perfect. And, when they had to leave, God gave them a hat, just so they would always remember just one simple truth.

We struggle so much in our lives. We keep trying to choose the hat to wear, or the hat to keep off our heads. The colors must match. They must be pretty. They must be impressive. They must be flattering. They must be prosperous. They must make us feel good, or sexy, or complete. When we wear some hats, people really hate us because we have the audacity to put them proudly upon our heads. We wear hats at home. We wear hats at work. We wear hats at school. We wear our prosperity (or poverty) hats on payday.

All we have to do is to reach into the closet of our broken lives, and purposely select the first hat we were ever given, and place it upon our head. In all the hats we have collected, or have had thrown to us, this one hat--the only one that God ever wanted us to wear in the first place:

“I am the Beloved of God!”

His handiwork is in it, and His signature is written on it. I do truly never want to wear any other hat than this. It was a gift, paid for by my Brother just for me. And, when I am wearing it, my Dad looks down at me, and says:

“It is Very Good!”

What hat do you like the most? Is it your “Dad!” hat? Is it your “Gay!” hat? Is it your “Christian!” hat? Which hat would you rather wear than the one that was handcrafted for you by the Creator of the Universe?

Maybe you’ve lost it. Maybe you’ve given it away. Maybe you even traded it for some other hat, because you thought you shouldn’t wear it. Or, maybe you have done like me, and tried to tear it up, burn it, run over it with a big truck, or just throw it in a stream. Maybe you think it’s not a hat that you were meant to wear. Maybe it’s a hat that you really just don’t want to wear.

If you want to find it, don’t look in your hat closet. Don’t wander around the house, looking in boxes or drawers.

Look up. And let Dad put it on your head. Of all the names I have, or of all the names I have ever been called, there is only one that, in my most honest moment, I ever want to wear. It is so hard, sometimes, to get to it. But, it is the only hat that has ever really, and truly fit me. My first sin wasn’t rebellion. It wasn’t disobedience. It wasn’t even disbelief.

My first sin was just like Eve’s. It was just like Lucifer’s. And, it was just like yours. It was the only mistake Jesus never made. And, because he never took off that hat, he never had to look for another one to feel good. Or loved. Or worthy. Or accepted. Or justified. Or able. Because he never made the first mistake, he never made any.

The hat that man made for Jesus was made of thorns. But the hat that God made for him was a stunning golden crown.

It was from that same crown that God hand-crafted the only hat He ever made for me—or for you. It was a hat made of golden fibers. On the front, written in blood, are the words: “I am the Beloved of God!”

You cannot earn the right to wear it. You cannot ever be good enough, or worthy enough, or holy enough. But then, you don’t have to be. Just don’t make the terrible mistake of forgetting that you have it. You can put it on your head any time you want to. And, no matter where you are, what you do, or how you live, it always fits.

It’s not about who God says He is. It’s not even about who I say God is. It’s all about who God says I am. It’s all about who God says YOU are. He wanted you to always remember it. He wanted it so bad, he even made a hat special, just for you. And, He put it on your head when He created you. And, He wants you to wear it wherever you go, and while you do whatever you do. To God, that’s the only hat that matters. And, when He wrote on it, he put your name is big letters. He even signed it Himself. And, He was just SO proud when he first saw you here, wearing it.

I found mine. I wear it more, these days. In the lean times, or in the ‘tween times, this hat has a remarkable quality about it. It feels like, when I wear it, I find more peace, or more strength. Life still happens, and it’s still difficult, and sad, and frustrating sometimes. But, when I remember who God says that I am, it just seems as if I will, somehow, make it through.

When you are feeling like you don’t know who you are, or when you feel like the world is trying to make you wear a hat that doesn’t fit, put on the hat that matters. When the world is being mean, and cruel, and ugly, and hateful—reach for the hat you came with.

It’s easy to see, in the closet. It’s the one that’s got kind of a soft warm glow to it. You can find it, even in the darkest times, when the light bulb in the closet is completely burned out in the middle of the night. Take it, and hold it in your hands. Read what it says, and put it upon your head. Today. Please. And, no matter where you go, or say, or do, NEVER take it off again!

“I AM the Beloved of God!”

Study Break # 4

As you sit here, reading these words, what's going on in your heart? Are you feeling conflict between the sense that the words make, and your ability to do the homework? Are there issues that you feel just keep this hat too far out of reach? Are they issues with your living, your home life, your personal life? Are they issues with work and family? Are your issues with some other part of your life? Are your issues with God? Write them down. Nobody's going to see them. Just write them down from your heart. That's all you have to do. We'll deal with the list later. Just be honest, and try to see what it is that keeps you from wanting to wear this hat. And, if you feel like it, just talk to Dad about the list. Keep it for our next lesson.

Soli Deo Gloria