Hidden Costs

Did you go shopping this past weekend?  New clothes for the holiday, groceries for that special Easter meal--maybe a little fast food or Starbucks to sustain you as you prepared for that special Easter meal?  If so, did you think to check the price?  I don't mean just what was written on the tag (or the menu), but the fine print.  Way down in the corner where it reads, "Cost includes a little of your life blood." 

OK, so who talks about blood in a blog?  A bit of a downer, don't you think?  Hang with me here.  You see, most of us ponder the true cost of our time and effort about as often as we completely read the user agreements for all that software we download.  But the reality is that, consciously or not, we are indeed investing our very existence into what we purchase.  The money that bought it required time that could have been spent elsewhere, demanded energy and focus that are definitely expendable resources.  I am purchasing my "stuff" with the stuff of life--my very self.

As I was reading this morning, it occurred to me that God went shopping, too.  He didn't go to the bargain rack, though.  He paid the highest price possible--His very self.  All of it.  So what was it that He believed was worth such an investment?  Our freedom.  Colossians tells us, "God purchased our freedom with His blood . . . " (1:14).  He could have had anything He wanted with His life on earth--could have demanded His rightful recognition and status, could have lived in great luxury, comfort, and fame.  But instead, He decided to pay His life to give true life--freedom from death--to us, and to do without the "good things in life" (like a house of His own) here on earth.

So, where does that leave us?  Yes, I'm going to the grocery store later today.  And I'm not likely to forever swear off Starbucks.  But reflecting on the intentionality of Christ's investment should at minimum cause me to ponder what I'm purchasing with my blood (read time, effort, and yes--money).  Maybe today I can invest a portion of my resources to bring more peace into someone's life, to invest into someone else's future, to help bring an increment of freedom to another. 

And maybe tomorrow.