The Price Tag

Over the last eight months, I've lost a lot of weight. And I do mean a lot. Which in turn means that I've had to buy new clothes every month or so. And I do mean every month. Which means that I spend a lot of time looking at price tags. And I do mean really looking at price tags.

There are two big problems with having to replace almost all of my clothing items ... I don't have a lot of extra money, and I really do not like to shop. But, over the last months, I have had no choice in the matter ... when my pants are literally falling off and I could easily fit another person into my shirts, I have to shop. And I have to find the money each month to at least buy enough clothing so that I can go to work each day and look somewhat presentable.

I've noticed that the more weight I've lost, the more I have begun to not mind shopping for clothes quite as much. It's more fun when I can find clothes that actually fit me well. For the last four or five weeks, I've been watching one particular shirt ... black with white stripes. I really liked that shirt ... totally my style ... dressy enough for one of my speaking engagements, and at the same time not too formal for work. I say I've been watching the shirt, OK, I've actually been stalking this shirt, because the starting price on the tag was $75.00.That's right, 75 bucks for one shirt. For as much as I liked the shirt, I would never in a million years pay $75 for one shirt.

Obviously, no one else was willing to pay that much for the shirt either, because it eventually went on sale for $50. That was still way more than I was willing to pay, but my shirt stalking kicked into high gear when the price eventually fell to $25. That price, coupled with a 30 percent off coupon, made my purchase a done deal, and, I might add, made me quite pleased with both the shirt and myself.

As I drove home from the store, I remembered something my pastor had said ... that though an item may have intrinsic value that isn't measured in dollars and cents, it is still only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Though the manufacturer and the retailer selling my new shirt thought it was worth $75, it was truly only worth what I was willing to pay. It really didn't matter to me what the original price tag was, but only how many dollars I was willing to sacrifice for what I wanted.

The truth is that God wanted me enough to sacrifice His only Son, to watch Him die on a cross, nails in His hands and feet, crown of thorns on His head. And Jesus? He loved me enough, wanted me enough, cherished me enough to pay the ultimate price to rescue me, to take me home with Him.

I've been bought and paid for, friends, with the blood of Jesus Christ. Have you?