That's Life!

It can’t possibly be even a quarter of an inch long. How in the world can it hurt so much?

It’s a little cut, right at the tip of my thumb, where the skin is extra thick. I got it while building an exercise tower for the cats. Buck and Jeeves aren’t kittens any longer, so aren’t all that active. Still, I got it in my head that they needed something to stimulate their curiosity a bit. I spent the better part of a week working with heavy duty cardboard, glue, industrial-strength tape, and a serrated knife. I doubt there are many who would put so much time and energy into such a project, but it’s just what I do.

The blister at the base of my thumb resulted from a more mundane task-yardwork. Spring clean-up on property with dozens of mature trees is no light chore. It was the raking that did it. I felt the soreness developing with every pull on the rake, but being caught up in the work, chose to ignore the minor annoyance. By the time I quit, the blister had broken open, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

My son invited me to join him and his family on a daytrip to Washington DC. By the end of the day, we had walked at least a bajillion miles. Why would I, with my bad feet, subject myself to such an excursion?

Because that’s life! What else would I do? It was a foregone conclusion that after a day of relentless walking, my feet would not recover for a week, but the joy of spending time with my family made the price insignificant. I knew when I picked up that rake that I would have battle scars before I was done, and I have never completed any of my cardboard design projects without a nick here or there. I do such things because they are worth it. Anything worthwhile in life comes with a price.

The Bible teaches us to count the cost before we start. If it’s important to us, we should be prepared to pay the price. If the price is higher than we want to pay, then we have to decide--how important, how valuable is this to me?

Jesus Christ faced that question. He could have turned His back on our need. He had every opportunity to avoid the agony of the cross, He knew what the price would be, and yet He left heaven. He knew, and yet He came. He counted the cost, and then He died for us because we were that important and valuable to Him. He proved it by paying the price that we couldn’t pay. He paid the ultimate price.

The pain of blisters, cuts or sore feet is laughable in light of the price paid on the cross, but because of His sacrifice, we have the promise of eternity with Him in Heaven. Now, that’s real life!