Labels

I tend to avoid labels. Labels for individuals, labels for people groups, and especially labels on clothing or accessories. I feel sorry for people who feel they have to purchase things with a flag symbol, a little horse, or alligator on them to feel they have value or in an effort to make other people think they're important. I'm not saying you're a bad person if you do buy those brands; I'm just saying we shouldn't get our value from the status they represent. Since those designer labels are usually 4 times the price of regular stuff, I in my thriftiness could never justify a purchase just to get a particular brand.

Being a pastor's wife, I also tend to be self-conscious about how others perceive how I spend God's money--money they've given to the church to pay our salary. I shouldn't be concerned about it, but I am. I know I'm only accountable to God, just like everyone else, but I feel the need to head off misconceptions before they start. I recently purchased a sterling silver, 3 stone (cubic zirconia) ring for $7 because I thought it was pretty, but I find myself not wearing it to church because I don't want anyone to think we're spending $5000 on a ring. Isn't that silly?

So knowing this detail about me, imagine my surprise when my boss (and friend) gave me a Coach purse for a Christmas gift. I have never even entertained the thought of owning a Coach purse. In fact, I think the most I have ever paid for a purse is somewhere around the $25 mark and that was a splurge. I usually purchase the $3 clearance purses at Walmart. Now I find myself with a purse I'm actually worried about someone stealing. Oddly enough, I've decided just to use it on Sundays so I don't trash it while lugging it everywhere during the week. I decided that if anyone was nosy enough to notice I was carrying a Coach purse would probably also notice my other two friends and fellow co-workers also received the same gift.