The Purse

 It was June and my Mom and my sister, Sherrie, were coming to spend the day with me.  A recent back surgery left me recovering from the procedure, and I eagerly looked forward to my family’s visit.  Since Mom had an apartment in an assisted living facility 80 miles away, she had to rely on Sherrie for transportation.

When they arrived I immediately noticed my sister’s new purse.  I could tell she was pleased with it herself.  Opening it up, she showed me various compartments, and shared how useful it had been while waiting in a doctor’s office for an appointment.  Its roominess had allowed her to carry a wide assortment of items besides the normal things a woman would carry in her purse.  Those included a book, crossword puzzle, small coloring book and crayons for her granddaughter, snack crackers and candy.  The latter came in handy while she waited at the hospital for a family member.

I bombarded her with questions.  Where did she get it?  How much did it cost?  Did they have another one?  She related how she had been on a quest to find a new summer purse but was limited in what she could spend.  However, while visiting one of the stores she spotted a clearance table.  The purse was marked down to $20, a price she could afford.

Looking back, I don’t know why I fell in love with that purse except that it was unusual, and it was good quality.  I wanted that purse!  Or one exactly like it.  I offered to give her $20 if she could find me another one, but she thought the chances were slim since that’s the only one she’d seen.  Several times throughout their visit, I mentioned the purse and how much I liked it.  After returning from another room, I was surprised to find Sherrie dumping out the contents of her purse onto the sofa. 

“What are you doing?”  I questioned.

“I’m giving you the purse,” she stated simply.

My remorse was immediate.  No, I couldn’t possibly take her purse.  But isn’t this what you wanted?  The voice inside me asked.   Conflicting emotions waged a war within me as I watched her put all the contents into a plastic sack.  Yes, I wanted the purse, but at what cost to her?  She and her husband had gone through a long spell of financial struggles, but after their rental house had finally sold, it freed them from the strain they had been under.  Still, they had to be frugal knowing that even with her job and her husband’s disability checks, they might need the money for future emergencies.  My joy, however, quickly overcame these objections, and I was thrilled the purse would be mine.

The next morning, equipped with a mug of coffee, I opened my Bible and began to read.  Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of conviction gripped me.  The passages were about coveting.  Many times I had read about this particular sin, but quickly dismissed it.  That was for greedy people.  But, this morning, The Holy Spirit spoke clearly to my heart; your desire for that purse, no matter the cost to your sister, was greed – in order words, coveting!   What remorse I felt!  Ashamed, I asked the Lord’s forgiveness for my sin and selfishness.

I immediately knew I had to return the purse to my sister.  Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it, to be obedient to the God that I loved more than anything.  I called Sherrie before mailing it so that she would not misunderstand my reason for returning it.  I poured out my heart about the conviction of the Holy Spirit during the early morning hours, and apologized to her. 

Her answer was simply, “No, Bonnie, when God asks me to bless someone, I don’t ever want it back.  You do what you want with the purse; give it to someone else who needs it.”

While I understood her reasoning, I didn’t know of anyone who might enjoy this purse.  We were fairly new in the area, and most of the people I knew were church members to whom we greeted in passing on Sunday mornings.   Again, I felt such remorse!  The beautiful purse was now an albatross, weighing me down with regret.

“Lord,” I prayed, “help me to find someone who needs this purse and who will be blessed by it, someone who will love it as much as I do.  This purse was so special to me since it was given out of a heart of love from my generous hearted sister.  As I prayed, I decided to post it on the local Freecycle website, a national organization whereby individuals can offer their items to others in need.  Under comments, I wrote that the purse had special meaning to me, and I wanted someone to have it who would treasure it.

As the emails came through asking for the purse, one especially caught my eye.  The lady wanted it for her adopted daughter, a previous orphan in Haiti.  I knew the purse was for meant for her.  After giving her the directions to my home, they soon arrived to collect the purse.  Instantly, I liked them both, especially since we shared a bond of fellowship of our Christian faith.

As their story unfolded, the mother shared how her daughter wanted a new summer purse, but since they were on a strict budget, they couldn’t purchase one for her.  Both mother and daughter hugged me in gratitude before they left.   

I couldn’t wait to share this beautiful story with my sister.  She was delighted that God had chosen such a precious girl to receive it.  She said there had always been a feeling that the purse didn’t really belong to her, so she had no regrets.  As for me, God used my love for pretty things to teach me about greed, the sin of coveting.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you love me so much that you sent your Holy Spirit to patiently teach me when I’m not walking in accordance to your Word, and for helping me to have the courage to be obedient.

            * Note:  A few weeks later, God blessed me with my own bargain.  As I perused a clearance rack looking for a purse that would fit within my budget, I spotted a beautiful powder blue one with lots of compartments.  It looked like it was made for me!  There was only one like it, and although the price tag revealed an original cost of $89.00, the clearance price was only $17.00.  Lord, thank you for your kindness and faithfulness to me, even though I don’t deserve it!