Thrift Shop

I went to an all girls’ college in the Philadelphia suburbs.
The campus had beautiful old buildings with much character.
Everywhere you looked there was intricate stonework and exquisite design.
Even though I was accepted to other colleges, this campus called to me.

Funny that the beauty of the campus meant so much to me, since I commuted to school.
However, if I was going to spend my days there, the scenery and ambiance was important.
Each season was more beautiful than the one before.
Old trees with massive trunks lined the paths.

One of my dear friends also went to the same college.
We had been together since first grade.
When graduation rolled around, we had been through sixteen years of school together.
She is still my treasured friend.

The college was located on what is notoriously known as the Main Line.
Lovely towns were built along the old Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The railroad helped establish these towns in the 19th century.
The Main Line was home to many sprawling country estates.

It was a wonderful place to spend those four years of my life.
I grew accustomed to the area and knew most of the little shops along the main road.
Places where I could window shop, but not afford the many items I saw there.
Until I found the thrift shops.

I happened to find one on my drive to school one day.
It was on the campus of another all girls school that went up to the twelfth grade.
I saw the sign and thought I would investigate.
When my classes were over, I visited the shop.

Beautiful clothes, sweaters, and accessories were incredibly low priced.
The thrift shop began as a way to further support the athletic program.
The shop was not well known at the time, but I was thrilled to have found it.
I found beautiful sweaters, leather pocketbooks, and pappagallo belts.

I left with quite a few things that day and had spent only a small amount of money.
I was able to clothe myself on a part-time salary by shopping at the shops I found.
Today, we would call them consignment shops or vintage shops.
The principle is the same.

I thought of this, as my daughters and I visited a high-end consignment shop.
It was crowded with women looking for designer clothes at bargain prices.
The prices were quite high, not at all like the shops I frequented all those years ago.
We left the shop with nothing.

While in college I needed a long dress for a wedding that I had to attend.
I usually like to shop by myself but this particular day, I brought two friends with me.
I pulled a few dresses from the racks and went in to try them on.
One dress that I was not too sure about got a resounding yes from my friends.

The dress was satin and lovely and affordable, but it was not my typical style.
Shopping with friends forces you to save face a bit.
Friends are persuasive as they lay out all the reasons why you should buy the item.
I listened to them and not to my own heart and bought the dress.

I wore it to the wedding and saw pictures of all of us later.
How I regretted buying and wearing that dress.
Any woman knows that satin is not very forgiving.
It wasn’t my style and I knew it; but I went along.

In the scheme of things, buying a dress for a wedding is not an irreparable decision.
But going along is, or it could be.
Listening to the group instead of the inner voice of your heart.
Whether it is dress buying or life decisions, listening to the group can be a problem.

Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Listen to your father, who gave you life and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do no sell it; get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave birth to you rejoice! My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways. (Proverbs 23:19-26)

My son, give me your heart.
How often young people look to their peers for answers.
Their peers are incapable of seeing the whole picture.
They do not have the wisdom to do so.

Often, it is wise to step away from your peers in order to see things clearly.
Buy the dress; it looks wonderful on you, when you know that is not true.
You two are so cute together, even when your heart says otherwise.
No one will ever know…when you know without a doubt that God knows.

We listen and we make poor choices.
We dismiss the voice that speaks to our hearts and listen to the fallible voices around us.
Peers will always tell you what you want to hear.
They do not have your vested interest at heart.

There is One who has your vested interest at heart.
The One who made your heart.
The One who wants to put His Spirit in your heart as a deposit of what is to come.
The One who gave your parents the job of raising you to know and follow Him.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Do not conform, in the little things or in the big life decisions.
Renew your mind, as you listen to those He put in authority over you.
Discern His voice above all the others, as He speaks to you in His Word and in prayer.
Obey even if it means standing alone.

Learn to do this in the small things.
When the big things come along, you are ready to stand.

Who would ever guess that a thrift shop would teach me a lesson about conformity?