Are you counting the cost?
What if I said to you that you shouldn't begin . . . anything . . . until you count the cost?
Would that make you feel restricted? Hemmed in? Bored? Secure?
Counting the cost is one of those things I think I do pretty naturally. But it was after becoming a trained life coach, that I found myself using this standard coaching question in every situation. I use it with my kids when they don't want to try out for a spot on the team or risk not being selected for the leadership council. I use it when there are two competing and good opportunities before me, especially with time being such a precious commodity. I often use the "counting the cost" question with my coaching clients, as they battle the tension between reaching the "perfect thing" they have in their head versus and launching messy.
There's not really a moment in which we shouldn't count the cost.
And actually, that's not just my opinion. In Luke 14:28 (NLT), Jesus boldly declares:
But don't begin until you count the cost.
In context, Jesus is challenging the crowd to consider the cost of following Him and becoming His disciples. He describes the implications of building a house without having the money to finish it. It's a profound visual, imagining a half-finished "job" and gawking bystanders commenting on our failure. It's that icky feeling that can motivate us to slow down the big idea funnel and think about sustainability, and that's a good thing!
However, when it comes to counting the cost in regards to being Christ's disciple, I can't help but wonder how that could have gone badly for me. I might have been too afraid to say "yes" to Jesus, back in that college dorm room in London, unaware of how it would cost me my friendships, bring about strife in my family, and lead me down a road of sacrifice.
Maybe it was a good thing that I was counting the cost for what it meant to stay "as is"?
My life was without hope. I had no direction. I needed a someone or something to give me purpose. Have you been there too? Is that where you're at right now? I am so glad that my searching stopped when Jesus became my Savior.
Through faith in Christ, God changed my life for the better and my legacy for His glory.
Are you eager for Him to do that in yours? I'm not just talking about your salvation moment, but your transformation journey.
As a changed woman, I know who I am and whose I am, and I'm co-laboring with God to see Him create a new legacy for my family.
It's a mission that started more than twenty years ago when I put my faith in Christ. It's a mission that continues today, as I daily count the cost and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
What about you?
Is God prompting you to count the cost when it comes to staying "as is"?
Is it time to count the cost of not following Jesus wholeheartedly?
Is this the moment when you'll draw a line in the sand and invite God to do a new thing in you, for the sake of the next generation?
I hope so. I pray so.
Because there is more,
Elisa
P.S. Maybe you just need to hear me describe this in a little more detail. Click over here to watch a short testimony about the transformation God has accomplished in my life and wants to accomplish in yours too. If anger is part of your story, you'll definitely want to check it out.
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