Purses, Prayers, Priorites

by Shari Braendel

A few summers ago I walked into a department store and saw the purse of all purses. Oh, let me tell you, this bag was the most amazing of bags! It was the biggest, grandest, most beautiful Coach bag I had ever seen.

I asked the sales associate to unlock it from its case. You see, this bag was so expensive and grandiose it needed to be put behind glass doors. The sales associate went on to tell me that she had just gone to a training class where they said if you were ever lost in the desert, this bag would certainly be all you would need! It could hold a small child if necessary, I am not kidding you! I was impressed.

For weeks, all I could think about was that purse. I would go to sleep and wake up thinking about how amazing this purse would look with my outfits. I even dreamed about it one night. One morning I was having my quiet time and as I was praying, I heard God whisper to my heart: “I don’t care if they GIVE you that purse, you can’t have it.”

“Excuse me, God,” I replied. “Did you just tell me I can’t have that beautiful, amazing, large purse that I might need if I’m ever stuck in the desolate, dry desert?”

“Yes, Shari, you cannot have that purse, even if they give it to you,” God answered.

I was dumbfounded. Why would God care if I had that purse or not? Then I understood. I was spending more time obsessing about that bag than obsessing about Him.

A few weeks later, I was speaking with a woman outside a church when I heard God instruct me to give her my purse. Another conversation ensued.

“What?” I said.

“Give her your purse,” He answered.

“But God, I like this purse. You said I couldn’t have the other purse, and as a matter of fact, I just cleaned out my closet and I have two other really nice purses I can give her, but not this one, okay, God?”

“Give her your purse.”

Now mind you, this entire conversation was going on in my head as I was attempting to have a conversation with her. I excused myself, went to my car, dumped the contents of my purse in the back seat, went back and handed her my purse. “God told me to give you this,” I said.

She burst into tears and told me she was a single mom with three children, and couldn’t afford a new purse. When she discovered my expertise in fashion, she had hidden her purse on the chair next to her because it embarrassed her. Here I was, giving her a purse that looked like new to her.

God knows me and purses, and obviously wanted to teach me a few lessons. To do so, He used a couple of them to drive the point home. I often say purses are my Jesus love language! It must have been the other woman’s love language, too, because He certainly made her happy with one.

About a month later, I received a phone call from the manager of a local department store. She told me to come by the store because they wanted to give me a gift. You guessed it! She told me I could choose any handbag in the whole department!

Now remember, God had told me I couldn’t have that particular Coach bag, EVEN if someone gave it to me. So, I took my husband along to guard the Coach department so I wouldn’t be tempted! And guard he did. As the Coach sales associate was waving me toward her to see her beautiful bags, my husband told her, “I’m sorry, she can’t cross into this department; God told her she can’t have a big Coach bag!”

She looked at him like he had two heads and just shook her own. Isn’t God amazing? He didn’t mind if I had a purse, in fact, He didn’t even care if it was an expensive one. What mattered to God was that I had my heart right.

Shari Braendel, of Proverbs 31 Ministries, is the author of Good Girls Don't have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Women . This full-color style and fashion guide is the first of its kind in the Christian marketplace. Shari helps you develop your unique style by teaching you how to dress for your body shape, what colors to wear, how to find the perfect jeans and swimsuit and much more. For your free on-line color analysis, visit www.FashionMeetsFaith.com and find out what colors are best for you!

If Clothes Could Talk... What Would YOURS Say?

By Shari Braendel

As I wait in the carpool line to pick up my son from school I look around and watch. Not at the children as they exit the school, but at the women picking them up. There's one mom in sweats and a big t-shirt with the school name plastered across the front. There's a woman hurrying up the sidewalk with a low-cut top and a skirt so short I'm concerned for the Headmaster to see her because not only should she be embarrassed but I'm afraid he will be, too. Then there's the sweet new teacher the students seem to love, but her jeans are extremely tight and you can see her underwear lines. Oh wait, there's Sheila, wearing that denim jumper again. You know the one that hangs on her like a potato sack completely disguising the fact she has a shape? And there's Helen who always seems so sad.

If your clothes could talk, what would they be saying to others about the way you see yourself? Are they telling the world you think you're sexy? Or perhaps the message your clothes project is one of “I don't care about myself.” Maybe yours are saying, “Don't look at me.” Whether you want to believe it or not, what you put on your body each day speaks a thousand words to those around you. You may not think your wardrobe has anything to do with who you are, but that's where you're wrong.

When God first prompted me to speak to Christian women about fashion I was excited and nervous at the same time. I couldn't believe He wanted me to use my knowledge of the fashion and beauty industry to minister to women in the church. But in His ever so gentle way, He showed me that many women don't like the way they look so they try to cover it up by wearing clothes to mask who they really are.

When a woman doesn't feel confident about how she looks on the outside, her real beauty is disguised. We know that true beauty is an inside job, but when you feel the need to dress in a manner that doesn't adequately describe who you are on the inside, you send a mixed message.

The woman in the denim potato sack may be telling us she thinks everyone else in her family is more important, and “don't look at me.” Or perhaps she gained a few extra pounds over the last several years and doesn't know how to dress to hide her fluffy tummy. Helen's suit is plain, her hair long and pulled back in a pony tail and her appearance communicates to us she is depressed and tired. Even though she is a very feminine woman, she doesn't know how to dress to be feminine and compete in the workplace. And since she is trying to get that promotion, she wears plain suits because that's what she's always been told is the key to competing with the men at her job.

The young teacher might be trying too hard to be like one of the kids so she's dressing like them, but her appearance says “sexy.” Or she just may not realize that tight jeans are not appropriate for her new position and is still dressing like she did during her college days. The woman with the low-cut top and mini skirt is sending a message that says, “I am not confident turning 40, and I want to be young and in style.” She isn't dressing age-appropriate and it is shouts that message for all of us to see. Except on the inside she's insecure with who she is as a woman as she grows older.

God wired us to feel beautiful. The problem is, we have been deceived by the great deceiver himself into thinking we are not pretty enough, young enough, desirable enough or just enough. We have been so busy we have completely forgotten to take the time to even think about how to dress to reflect our inside beauty.

It's time to get real with your appearance. Inside and Out. It really is okay to look good, feel good and spend time on yourself. We are representing the God of the universe yet we look frumpy, tired and out of style. Come on, sistahs, look in the mirror, repeat these words, “I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful!” Then go to your closet and stand there. Consider what you are going to put on today. Don't just grab easy, comfy and quick. Take some time to consider what you feel good in. Put on a color that makes you sparkle. Go to your jewelry box and pull out an accessory you really love but haven't worn in awhile. Go shopping for a nice fitting pair of jeans and a trendy new top and buy a pair of cute flats. Step out of your comfort zone and give yourself permission to spend time on your outer appearance.

You are the daughter of the most high king ... it's time to dress like it!