Suppose one of you wants to build a house. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ... Luke 14:28-33
We have been estimating the COST in the last couple weeks. A budget needed to be crafted. Electricians, plumbers, drywallers, carpenters and others did the math as they toured the cold forsaken house. I spent many hours online looking at lighting fixtures, cabinetry, plumbing fixtures. Even the children joined in when we visited the local stores in search of paint samples, floor tiles and appliances. No purchases were made at this point. But we estimated the cost of every item. It was important for the success of our plans.
Keith and I met with our contractor yesterday to go over projected costs. We were not surprised to discover the final numbers to be quite a bit higher than expected. So we began prioritizing. We chose to be flexible with our plans as we discussed the options, knowing that faith and trust in God's plans and timing was most important.
"God, what do you have in mind for this property? What plans do you have for our lives as we look towards these transitions? We choose to place ourselves into Your hands. We ask You to have your way in this process. We have considered the cost; we will do what is possible and trust You to do the impossible."
Counting the cost is difficult. In the same Luke 14 passage Jesus said, "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." I believe counting the cost means that I make priorities. It is not about getting my own way. It is choosing to trust that God has already done the math; has already counted the cost and paid the price. He knows the outcome. All the resources are in His hands so I'm with Him!
Keith and I met with our contractor yesterday to go over projected costs. We were not surprised to discover the final numbers to be quite a bit higher than expected. So we began prioritizing. We chose to be flexible with our plans as we discussed the options, knowing that faith and trust in God's plans and timing was most important.
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| Note the curve of this window. Lancaster Historic District regulations say that if we want to replace it, the new window must be a reproduction of the original. The cost of a custom window such as this? $11,000 each. (I think we'll just make do with the window as is) |
"God, what do you have in mind for this property? What plans do you have for our lives as we look towards these transitions? We choose to place ourselves into Your hands. We ask You to have your way in this process. We have considered the cost; we will do what is possible and trust You to do the impossible."
Counting the cost is difficult. In the same Luke 14 passage Jesus said, "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." I believe counting the cost means that I make priorities. It is not about getting my own way. It is choosing to trust that God has already done the math; has already counted the cost and paid the price. He knows the outcome. All the resources are in His hands so I'm with Him!
Counting the cost does not always mean that I even know "all of the costs" but that I am willing to pay the price that is needed for God to do His work and recieve the glory . . . God's glory is our ultimate goal no matter what task, ministry or live journey we are facing . . .
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