My wife is an avid fan of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress", which follows brides to be and their families as they search for the perfect wedding dress for their special day. It takes place in a huge bridal salon called Kleinfeld Bridal, where a $2,000 dress is considered bargain basement. Since she graciously puts up with my rather random taste in movies and T.V., I sometimes watch an episode or two with my wife. And even if it costs me a few man points,  I'm not ashamed to admit that sometimes I even find myself getting into it a little. It can be quite entertaining watching how some of the families on the show interact as they try and get the bride to choose the dress they think she should wear. But probably the number one detail I find fascinating about it is the price range of the dresses. We are constantly shocked by how much some of the families are willing to spend on a dress. In a recent episode, one father was willing to pay $24,000 for a dress. That's right, $24,000! I didn't misplace the comma on that one. That's crazy!

While it's pretty easy for me to sit back and judge people on a T.V. show, it's not so easy to judge my own heart. The other day in my personal Bible reading, I read these words of Jesus in the book of Matthew: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." (Matt. 16:24-25) As I read this familiar passage, I felt a little bit of uneasy conviction setting in. I felt like God was asking me, "Nate, how much are you hanging on to your life? How much value are you placing on worldly things that have nothing to do with me?" If I am to answer those questions honestly, I have a problem. My heart is not totally devoted to the Lord. In fact, there are many other things I ascribe greater value to on a daily basis.

No, I may not have put down $24,000 to buy Charlene a wedding dress, but what other "dresses" am I saying yes to? Am I really "losing my life" for God or am I keeping big chunks of it for myself? We tithe every Sunday, but how much more do I spend on myself in any given week? You are all aware of my coffee addiction. If I compared my weekly coffee spending with our tithe check, which sum would be greater? My wife and I work out together every day, but how often do we spend time doing devotions together? As the husband, it is my responsibility to lead our family spiritually, but how many times have I rushed praying with Charlene before bed so that I could have more time to read, watch T.V., or do a crossword puzzle? These may seem like small pieces of my life, but when they are added up they represent a sizable portion of my resources and energy. None of the things I mentioned are inherently bad activities, but if I'm not careful, I can start to live a pretty Godless existence by omission. I simply omit God because I'm doing other things. I'm "saving my life" for myself.

I'm reminded of something else Jesus said: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". That's the big issue for me. Where is my treasure? Is it in God or in the stuff that I like? Where do I spend most of my time, money, and energy? I can't say that God is the most important thing to me if I don't spend the majority of my time pursing Him. I need to stop saying "Yes to the Dress" and start saying yes to my God!