Consider the Cost

A few months ago, Tami and I decided that we needed to start doing some updates to our home. We’ve lived here for over 10 years and the house was built in the late 1990s. With little knowledge on the subject, we really didn’t know where to go or whom to talk with, so we did the normal thing…Google. Our problem was that we didn’t know what we wanted to do, and we’re not very creative when it comes to interior design. So, we found a company less than a mile from our house that has won several awards for home redesigning and remodeling and thought they’d be a great place to start. 

We set up an appointment and met with our designer. We brought pictures of the areas we wanted to update and sat at a computer for an hour and a half discussing ideas. I must say, a few of the ideas really sounded like they would look amazing in our home. During that meeting Tami and I grew more excited, but at the end we were told the rough cost, which I was sure would end up being higher. 

To give you an idea, we are looking at redesigning our kitchen and possibly our master bath. We had an estimate in mind of what it would likely cost. When our designer told us the cost of the kitchen updates she was at the budget we’d imagined, but the total did not include any of the flooring and did not involve our bathroom at all. So it comes down to choosing a company that would double our planned costs, cutting back on our home’s updates, or finding people to do the work by using this company’s ideas as a starting point. We understood going into the meeting that it was more important for us to get ideas and knowledge, so we could then find builders to accomplish our goals for a much lower cost. We will go forward and at some point our home will be updated, it just won’t be with this company.

As we’ve gone through this experience it reminded me of the scripture that tells us to “consider the cost.” The Bible teaches me how to live an effective life for Christ, but to develop into that person He intended for me to be I must first ask myself if I’m willing to pay the price. The Christian life is the most fulfilling and rewarding life a person can experience if that person stays true to what the Bible teaches. Many times Christians become frustrated and discouraged because they don’t consider the cost and only invest in getting halfway to where they need to be. Yes, there are difficult moments, but I can tell you that there are far greater moments of peace and security because of understanding the cost of the commitment I’ve made to Christ. Just as we will have projects completed to improve and update our home, Christ will continue to work in my life to help make me the man of God He wants me to be. It may take a little longer in some areas, but it will be done—both in our home and in my life as a follower of Jesus Christ.