Hidden Price Tags

By Rachel Coltharp

Cost is a tricky thing. We are often fooled into believing we know what we are paying. We also often overlook the fact that the price reflected on a tag, on a sticker, or in a menu is just the beginning. Everything comes with a hidden price tag.

Welcome to Rachelconomics 101. We will explore the hidden price tags of opportunity cost and emotional cost.

For the mathematicians out there, my formula is this: (Price + Maintenance Cost) + Emotional Cost + Opportunity Cost = Total Cost. I know the economics majors are choking right now, and I do apologize for throwing Rachelogic and Rachelmath into your neatly organized world, but roll with me, okay?

Let's look at an example of eating dinner at a restaurant. Since my theoretical dinner is a healthy one and has no adverse health affects requiring additional financial investment, I have $0 in maintenance cost. If I choose to eat junk, driving up my weight, sugar, and blood pressure, resulting in health care costs, early death, and lost wages, then further financial cost would have to be factored in.

I can figure the formula like this; a $10 dinner, plus a $2 drink, with tax, and a 20% tip will be $15.60. So, on the surface, the initial cost of my dinner is $15.60.

Behind these numbers lies another cost, opportunity cost. What I spend on dinner cannot be spent somewhere else. Looking at it from a different angle, the opportunity cost of eating out might be the lost opportunity to purchase a house. Over a 10-year span, one dinner out per week, per couple, ($16,224) equals a 10% down payment on a $160,000 house.

Look at long-term opportunity cost, not just initial price tag cost, The same couple, renting a house for an additional 10 years (at $1000 per month) equals $120,000 in lost equity. Thus, the opportunity cost of a once a week dinner out, can end up giving that $10 dinner an opportunity cost of $230.77 per dinner!

Opportunity cost is not just money.

Thrift stores and estate sales are filled with people's  "Oh, I just HAVE to have it!" which eventually becomes, "Ahh, just get rid of it." Sadly, we often leave houses, garages, attics, and sheds full of STUFF, but the treasure chest of memories is bare.

Things like your health, your spouse, your children, and grandchildren; all come with expiration dates. Time spent with them, building relationships, investing in shared experiences should be considered in opportunity cost. The emotional cost of not spending time with them now may cost us millions of emotional dollars down the road.

I heard a broken-hearted pastor tell his story a few years back. He recounted how he left at the crack of dawn and returned home at dark his entire married life. When his wife of 40+ years died suddenly, he found himself visiting her grave every day, spending his lunch hour there. He told me, "The time I spent doing pressing things cost me more that I ever could have imagined. I'd give it ALL up to go back and spend more time with her. Why didn't I spend my lunch with her?" When she was alive, lunch with her every day seemed too costly. Her death put everything into perspective.

Health and strength fade. Parents die. Spouses die. Children grow up. And sometimes children die. don't overlook the opportunity cost of time.

Emotional Cost. If you spend money based on your momentary feelings, you most likely will not spend it wisely. Understanding spending habits by giving them an emotional price tag can help tremendously. There are some emotional costs that simply cannot be figured with mere numbers. There are occasions when the stress involved in planning, preparing, serving, and cleaning up simply outweighs the cost of paying someone else to do it. All emotional costs are not equal. Sometimes time is more valuable than money.

When my infant daughter was in the hospital, my husband and I took 12-hour shifts with her. Buying dinner to eat together in her room had an emotional price tag that cannot be reflected in numbers. The money we spent on those dinners bought more than our food. It bought us two hours together, with her. When you don't know if your baby is going to live, the opportunity cost of losing 2 hours with her vs. maybe not getting a house doesn't even matter.

However, when I'm just tired and don't want to cook, the emotional benefit cost of asking my husband to bring home food does not even compare to those hospital dinner costs. When I was merely tired, the opportunity cost of maybe not getting a house helped me suck up some reserve energy and cook! We have a house today because of it!

I've heard it said, "Time is money," but I disagree. Time is so much more than money; money you can make more of, time is limited. Learning to evaluate which is more valuable to you can help you invest them both wisely. Don't judge an investment merely by the sticker price because everything has a hidden price tag.

Editor's Note: Rachel is the wife of Brent Coltharp, pastor of First Apostolic Church in Aurora, Illinois and Superintendent of the UPCI's Illinois District. They have four children; James, Reagan, Lincoln, and Grant. Some years ago, Rachel spoke at an Apostolic Writers Banquet here at New Life. He husband ministered to us during that weekend. We were richly blessed by their ministry of the Word.

Who's the Boss?

By Rachel Coltharp

Submission is not an easy thing. From the moment we are born, we fight for our own way. I am no exception. Submission grates my skin like sandpaper, its grit rubs me raw; exposing the real me underneath. While it goes against our nature, everyone submits to someone.

It's what you do when you choose to be employed. You submit your "mission" of sleeping till noon, talking/texting to your friends all day - to their "mission" of being productive in whatever area they direct. It's what you do when you choose to stop at a red light when you'd rather plow on through because there are no other cars on the road but yours. It's what you do when you choose to pay your taxes rather than spend them on a vacation to Hawaii. Submission is part of our everyday life.

The heavy handed misuse of the principle of submission by non-Christ-like individuals has given it a bad image. The true pattern found in I Peter is that of a husband who takes time, effort, and energy to study and learn his wife - to get a Ph.D. in her! Husbands are instructed in I Peter 3:7 to study her, to honor her, and treat her as an equal in Christ, and is warned that if he doesn't, God will not hear his prayers. In Rachel language, this says, "Look here son, I'm trusting you with my precious baby girl. Get to know her, what makes her tick, and remember she's MINE, before she is yours. Treat her like MY daughter should be treated. And if you don't, don't even bother coming to Me with your petitions for repentance, provision, or protection.

You don't get any more serious than that - to have your connection to the Father cut off. God takes this authority/submission thing seriously. So should we.

As a follower of Christ, I choose submission to my spiritual authority (Pastor) and to my husband. I do not find it to be an easy thing. Simple, yes. Easy, no.

In choosing submission, I find that I learn a LOT about myself. I see that I am often selfish. I see that I am easily irritated. I see that I have a lot of pride. And I would NEVER see these things if I did not choose submission. The weaker me wants things MY way. The undisciplined me wants things MY way. It takes strength and stamina to push past me, the big fat baby me, to get to the best me.

What about you? Who do you submit to? Who has veto power in your life? How are you doing in submitting your will/mission to that of your authority? Do you take your role of spouse/parent/child/spiritual authority seriously?

Everyone follows someone. Everyone leads someone. I beg you to prayerfully consider your role in submission. Someone's soul may be at stake. Maybe yours.

Editor's Note: Rachel Coltharp is the wife of Brent L. Coltharp, (Illinois District Superintendent,) pastor of First Apostolic Church of Aurora, Illinois. She is not only a pastor's wife, but mother of four, friend of many, homeschool teacher extraordinaire, consoler, writer and speaker, and wearer of many hats. Her joy and wisdom reveals her as a modern-day Proverbs 31 lady. It's a privilege to reprint this article written recently.

Covered

By Laurel D. Williams

I love to go to estate sales. There are always so many treasures to discover. My favorite finds are vintage linens. I purchase tatted, crocheted, and embroidered linens. I've bought dresser scarves, crocheted pot-holders, embroidered tea towels, and tatted runners. Vintage aprons are special finds. I especially enjoy gingham "chicken scratch" aprons. Each one is unique in design. I have frilly hostess apons, full-length embroidered ones, quilted aprons, and feed-sack aprons. Even my Aunt Barbara contributes to my vintage apron collection. I keep most of the aprons. But, I have passed along a few at bridal showers and special fund raising events at church.

When I think of aprons, two women come to mind. My grandmother Ruby and my mother Betty have donned aprons. Grandmother Ruby was a continual hostess. Every day she had company and she cooked three meals a day expecting to feed a large crowd. Grandma always wore a very servicable apron. It fit over her head and had large pockets in front. She usually wore this over a duster or a housedress.

My mother, Betty, always wears an apron to cook. It is a full-length apron. She is a wonderful cook. She bakes beautiful cookies and cakes. She is always trying new recipes. (We call these "guinea pig meals.") I can't picture her in the kitchen without her apron. When that apron comes off, she is finished with that kitchen!

Women in simpler times faithfully wore aprons. They did not have the large wardrobes of clothes that we have today and it was very important to protect what they had. Washing was a difficult and time-consuming chore. It was necessary to wear clothing wisely and protect it with aprons. Housework, gardening, and farm chores were accomplished by the apron wearer.

Many occupations necessitate the wearing of aprons. Maids, waitresses, bakers, and chefs readily come to mind. Welders wear leather aprons to protect them from sparks, as do workers of iron. Chemists wear aprons to protect themselves from exposure to harmful agents. X-ray technicians wear aprons to protect themselves from radiation. Even patients don lead aprons to protect vital organs during x-ray diagnosis.

Through the years, women at home have abandoned the use of aprons. It was a symbol of servitude to a generation seeking "liberation." It was a symbol of a woman who placed her priority to family, home, and children. It was a symbol of her committment to making her home a loving, secure, and orderly place. It is a symbol of love to her husband - I choose to serve you with the love of the labor of my hands. When she dons the apron, she is ready to work for the ones she loves.

It is essential that we, as women, are covered! It is God's plan. God is the Master of the Universe and everything is governed by His exact rules. It is HIS order of the commandment of His creation. God is the Head of us all. We come to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as we are covered by His blood and Name in baptism. The head of man is Christ. The head of woman is man. If we want to be effective in our homes, families, marriages, and occupations - we must follow the order to be covered! The order is: God, Christ, man, woman. Rearrange the sequence and the results are chaos.

In the tabernacle in the wilderness, God had a plan for every part of His dwelling place. There was a plan for what the coverings of the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies would be. There was an order for setting the tabernacle up and for dismatling. The precious, holy objects were covered before being transported. Aaron and his sons were the only ones that could cover those sacred objects. The holy things were for God, they were covered from the gaze of common man, How important in our marriage is it to keep the sacred and holy covered?

We are covered by Christ through baptism in His Name. His blood covers our sins! When we are covered by Jesus, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. When we are covered by His Name, we are His! We are committed to Him. He is committed to us. As the groom adores the bride, so God adores us when we are covered by His Name!

When we are covered by Christ and covered by the covenant of marriage, we are protected. Not only are we protected by our husband, but our minds and hearts are protected as well. The mind and heart are essential for our survival! Not only are we physically protected by our husband, we are spiritually protected. When two or three are gathered in His Name, (man and wife joined in covenant marriage with God,) He will be in the midst.

So, the next time you don an apron - dance to the Lord like Grandma Ruby! Let it be a spiritual renewing. You will be saying, "I am covered by His blood, and I am covered by His Name!" You will be displaying to your husband and children your love, your commitment to them, and that you are ready to dig in and work to give them your all. When you don that apron, you are a picture of the service God calls us to be. You are putting on holiness, you are proclaiming the sacredness of marriage. You are proclaiming, "My marriage, my family are my treasure." You are an example of love shining for your children. You are a beacon of security and refuge to your children and spouse, a safe place to dwell. In years to come, your memory will be sacred to the ones you've served. Then, the Master can say, "Well done!"

I Corinthians 11:3, 5, 12 - "But, I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man: and the head of Christ is God. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered, dishonoreth her head. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman, but all things of God."

Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Exodus 33:22 - "And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in the cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by."

Isaiah 51:16 - "And I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art My people."

Galatians 3:27 - "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put Christ on as a garment." (HCSB)


Editor's Note: Laurel Williams is married to Johnnie Williams. Their family lives in Orange, Texas and attends Eastgate United Pentecostal Church, (Pastor George R. Edwards,) in Vidor, where Laurie teaches Sunday School and is faithfully laboring in her Father's vineyard..