Vanity...

...is annoying!

Well, maybe I shouldn't say that; however, I am beginning to see vanity in a whole new light. Allow me a few moments to explain. Where I work, I sit in a row of four desks....large, spacious desks and I love, but I am surrounded by other women. One (we'll call her Momma, in her 40's) has been at the company for awhile and is the most calm of all 4 of us. Then there is myself (27), Debbie Downer (30) and Za-Za (24-25ish). With my time here at the firm, listening to DD and ZaZa talk has brought one word to mind...vanity.

Maybe its is because these are both city girls - single girls who live in city lofts and have prancey little dogs and wear designer heels (no, I have nothing against designer heels), but all I hear about is stuff. There have been days (very recently) when we have all said we were swamped with work, yet I overhear their conversations about what Juicy stuff is on sale, and how expensive their new handbags were. Lately, DD talks about how she wants a $1000 handbag and she is made because her boyfriend won't buy it for her!!! WHAT?!??! I am listening right now to ZaZa talk about the new Juicy dog collar she is getting for her pooch and its on sale for only $100! Through all of this 'talk', I have to tell you that I find myself thankful.

I am thankful that I do not judge my relationship with my husband by the gifts that he gives me; I am thankful that I don't worry about having enough to pay my rent because I spend $250 on hair and eyelash extensions; I am thankful I don't consider my worth by what stores I shop at.

The more and more I sit at my desk, this verse come to mind from Ecclesiastes 2:

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.

Now please don't misunderstand me, I love a nice pair of jeans just as much as the next women, and yes, I love expensive handbags, but my worth does not come from them, but from Him. There is not object on their earth that can make me "worth" more than I am to the Father - to Him, I am priceless - so priceless, that He would give His own life for ME!

I pray that if you are reading this that you know His love for you - that you know He doesn't love you because of how long your eyelashes are, or because of how much money you spend on new clothes - He loves you with an unmeasurable love just for who you are.