Worth the Cost

So, what’s on my mind?

We recently spread some fresh mulch in front of the house. But before spreading, I used my highly sophisticated scientific method for figuring out how many bags would be needed by…just eyeballing it. And I was wrong. I don’t know if any of y’all can relate, but with tasks like this I always come up short. And even knowing this about myself, I try to add one more bag, assuming that I’ve underestimated. It didn’t work.

As I stood there looking at a flower bed that was only mostly finished, I started thinking about how often I underestimate things. I underestimate how long a project will take. I underestimate how much energy a busy week will require. I underestimate how difficult a conversation might be, how much patience parenting requires, or how quickly a month can disappear from the calendar. 

I also wonder if we sometimes underestimate what it means to follow Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds to “count the cost” before deciding to follow him. It’s a curious thing to say. After all, if you’re trying to attract followers, you probably don’t lead with a discussion about cost. But Jesus never hides the reality that discipleship demands something from us. Following Jesus costs us our time. It costs us our priorities. It costs us our desire to always be in control. Sometimes it costs us our comfort, our certainty, and our willingness to put ourselves first.

But here’s the good news: Jesus tells us to count the cost, not because following him isn’t worth it, but because it is. Too often we approach faith as if it’s another item to fit into an already crowded schedule. We give Jesus what remains after we’ve attended to everything else. But Jesus invites us into something much deeper: a life shaped by grace, love, sacrifice, and service. He invites us not merely to believe in him, but to follow him.

The truth is I probably underestimated the mulch project because I wanted it to be easier than it actually was. I suspect I sometimes do the same thing with discipleship. I want to follow Jesus without having to rearrange too much of my life.

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t just ask us to count the cost; he also promises to walk with us every step of the way. The cost of discipleship is real. But so is the grace of the One who calls us. And for that, I’m grateful.

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester