I Would've, Could've, Should've.....

     How many times do we do things without really thinking about the possible consequences before we do them?  It can be something simple like eating an extra cookie we don't need or more painful like pushing yourself beyond your limits after you have had surgery.  Yes, I qualify in this department and it isn't the first time.
     Yesterday, I was feeling pretty good on my new and improved knee so I practiced walking around the house without a cane.  Thinking this was a sign of better days ahead, I decided to vacuum a portion of the house today.  My inner German housecleaner came out in full force because I cannot stand a gritty floor thanks to our dear dog who loves to walk in the black sand.  However, after I finished, my left knee started screaming at me that maybe this was not such a good idea after all.  Its only been three and a half weeks post surgery.  I felt good about the clean floor...but not so good about my knee.  Now, I just need to take it easy for a while so I can calm the knee down.  My husband reminds me often that "No pain means no gain" when it comes to rehab.  He is right and I need to remember to count the cost before plunging into a daily activity.

A memorial to a Covenanter in Scotland who gave his life in the
cause of Christ

     Jesus also spoke to His disciples about counting the cost, thinking about consequences, and determining if they had what it takes to follow Him.  Luke 14:25-34 is the passage that describes His discussion with the disciples following Him.  He made clear to the crowd that they would have to leave behind father and mother or perhaps their wife and children.  They might even lose their own life in order to follow Him.  Many today, in the persecuted church, have had to do just this.  Others who convert from some religions have been put to death for becoming a Christian.  So the Lord made it clear that there would be a cost for following Him.  He didn't promise rainbows, happy days and endless material gains.  He offered them a cross, self sacrifice, and asked them to count the cost.  The key verses are 28-33:  "28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’  31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples."
     Somehow in this day and age, people who come to Christ and follow Him often expect life to be different.  They expect no illness, heartaches, or troubles.  Yet, Jesus plainly laid out in this passage and others that trials and tribulations are a part of  life i
n this fallen earth.  However, He did promise to be with us through all those valleys.  He told us He would never leave us or forsake us, but there is a cost to being a disciple.  We may lose old friends or even family members may cut ties, but the rewards and joy we receive in Christ are eternal.  They outweigh the hardships we may face.
     While we might not suffer the same fate as those in closed societies around the world, Jesus asks us to count the cost.  Are we willing to follow Him no matter where, when or how He calls us to serve Him?  There may be sacrifice required so we have to ask ourselves if we are willing to push on and take up our cross and follow Him.  Just as there is no gain in my ability to use my new knee without discomfort, there is no growth in the Christian walk without the commitment to face whatever God asks of us.  Our rewards and citizenship are in heaven.  We will see Him face to face one day and all we have suffered and lost will fall away in the light of His glory.  Though the cost is high, the blessings are without end when we follow our Master.  I may have been a bit foolish today when it came to overdoing it with my knee, but in 48 years of serving Christ, I have never had any regrets.  I am all in for Jesus Christ...are you?  Selah!