Everything Has a Cost

My wife and I bought tickets to Game 6 of the World Series. (Spoiler alert: The Rangers won in 5 games, so we didn’t end up getting to go.) I had never been to a World Series baseball game, and it’s rare that your home team makes it. We had a babysitter that night, so we got the tickets.

The tickets were expensive. Immediately after I bought the tickets, I started to second-guess myself. Was it too much money to spend on a baseball game? Was it worth it? Was it irresponsible to spend that much money on a one-time event? Etc.

Struggling with the Cost

I was struggling with the cost of going to the baseball game. I wanted the benefit (e.g., experiencing the game) but I didn’t want to pay the cost.

I think this happens to me a lot in my everyday life. Anything worthwhile in life usually has a cost. It might be time, money, or something else. But there is always a cost. Take therapy, for example. I went back to counseling this past year, but I struggled with the decision. I wanted the mental health benefits of going back to therapy, but I didn’t want to pay the cost of going each week. So, I struggled with the decision, staying stuck.

Count the Cost

There is an interesting passage in the Bible where Jesus talks about the importance of counting the cost of being a disciple. “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? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish’” (Luke 14:28-30).

Everything Has a Cost

Everything has a cost. We might hope that we could get the benefit of something without paying a cost, but that hope usually doesn’t line up with reality. The best thing we can do is to be honest with ourselves about the benefits and costs of a decision. That way, we can make a decision and move forward with our eyes wide open.