Every decision comes with a cost, even the good ones. And it’s important to acknowledge these costs so that we’re prepared to stick with the decision we’ve made and to be kind to ourselves when we struggle.
For example, when we want to establish a healthier lifestyle, we often have to change our current exercise and diet routines. There’s a price we have to pay to move toward the life we want to live. And while it’s a price we’re willing to pay, it is a costly price all the same.
And this is true throughout our life and relationships.
There’s a cost to work and provide for our families, a cost to live with our integrity in and out of the bedroom, and a cost to love well those God has placed in our path.
And while we’re committed to making good decisions in all these areas and more, it’s not helpful to pretend these decisions are particularly easy or that they come without a cost.
There will be many days in which we’re still exhausted, frustrated, disappointed, and the like even as we follow through on these good decisions. And these feelings are not necessarily a sign that we’ve made a bad decision or that we need to change our minds. They’re often just part of the cost we signed up for.
When we don’t recognize this we often let our guard down and start to go back on the decisions we’ve made – reasoning it shouldn’t be this hard if it’s a good decision. Or we might beat ourselves up – feeling that something must be wrong with us if it requires so much effort to do a good thing.
But often nothing is wrong or needs to change per se. A good decision is still simply costly, and this cost needs to be respected.
In the end, there’s no need to downplay the cost still required even in good decisions. Respecting this cost allows you to faithfully endure while also being kind to yourself when you struggle.
Photo by Mariano Nocetti on Unsplash
