Price Tag

I like to go clothes shopping...sometimes. That is, I like it when I find cute clothes that fit, when I'm not hungry/tired/bored, when I don't have to buy jeans and can instead buy cute dresses and shirts instead of stupid pants, and when I find good deals. Heck, I'm crazy about spending the least amount of money possible! I am constantly checking price tags. For example, if I'm trying to decide between two pairs of shoes, I automatically go with whatever is cheaper. It solves my problem, right???


Lately I've realized that I assign price tags to people like stores give clothes prices based on how much society says they are worth or how they have treated me in the past. Some people are more valuable than others. It goes like this.

That annoying kid who had a crush on me a while back and stalked me constantly? 15% off his value!
This girl I know who was a total snob to everyone? 30% off!
That girl who was mean to me for no good reason? Buy one, get one free!

And sometimes I even calculate my value based on the things that I've done and what I look like:

Okay, I've got curly red hair that I'm pretty proud of, so that's a $20 value. But I'm not as skinny as Emmy, so that's $5 off my value. But at least I'm nice. So that's $7 back. And I dress cuter than Macy, not to mention I'm active in FSU campus stuff. So that's $2 back. But then I don't...

...and the cycle goes on. In the past I've hesistated talking to someone who makes me look bad in fear that I'll look bad and that will lower my value on the price system. I also thought that I was of low value and didn't deserve to talk to other people, because they all thought I was weird.

But lately, God has been working on this judgemental heart of mine. I've realized that God doesn't assign price tags based on the good or bad things that we do, the people who we are or aren't, or what society tells us that the image in the mirror means we are. When Christ holds our price tag in His scarred hands, He remembered that our cost to redeem us from our mistakes was high-it cost Him His life on a bloody cross. God loved you enough to die for you. He didn't just pay a six-figure check for your ransom, He paid His very life. When I realized this at age 14 for the first time and became a Christian, it changed my world. As I continue to realize this today, it makes me realize that everyone is worth dying for in God's eyes, so who am I to treat anyone differently than anyone else? It also makes me see that I am no better than anyone and no one is better than me, so I have confidence.

I'm a red-head. I'm a Spanish teacher in training. I'm an American, an English language teacher, a vice-president of an amazing organization, a former ballerina. But none of these things are my value. I find my value in the death of Christ alone.