Objects May Appear Larger

I laughed hysterically as a loved one recounted to me the conversation she inadvertantly overheard about me. Apparently at a recent gathering there was a rather large group of people talking about various members of our church staff and speculating as to how much money each one made. In doing so, one of the people made a comment about me having "come from money". I still laugh when I say it because nothing could be further from the truth, but that isn't the point. One member had commented on my clothing, and the fact that I carry a Louis Vuitton purse while another chimed in about how old and expensive the furniture in my house appeared and that I am always drinking Starbucks. I laughed and laughed as she recounted each detail and she told me how hard it was not to interrupt the conversation and tell them that I drink Starbucks because my husband worked there and now makes the tasty drinks in our home, or that my Louis was a black market buy in the Bahamas for a measily $40, or that I buy clothes at Target, Walmart, and Ross or that my house is furnished by my family's co-op.

Until that moment I had never realized how my appearance looked to people outside of my close circle of friends. Anyone who really knows me well knows how much I love a good bargain and despise paying full price. I'm the girl who begins her Christmas shopping the day after Christmas so that I can make the most of the sales and so that I will have enough time to bargain hunt and comparison shop to squeeze every last drop out of every nickel I spend. Comment on something I am wearing or something I have and chances are I'll tell you where I got it and how much I paid for it, regardless of how annoying it is. I got a big kick out of the conversation but later when I was alone I began to wonder, is that the image I want other people to see? What should I be reflecting, that I come from money or that I am a child of God? What do you reflect?

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.
Proverbs 27:19

Your thoughts?