Cost. And Joy.

I knew this year would be costly. I was prepared for that.

The cost is great. No longer being a phone call away from a friend. No Starbucks dates asking how someone's soul is. No making meals for someone who's had a hard week. No showing up on someone's doorstep with a gift that will make them laugh. No babysitting so a friend who's moving away can meet with another friend for a few hours. (Wish I was there, Meghann.) Love for people must now take different forms. It costs. It hurts. It's uncomfortable.

But God is so kind.

And the JOY, even now, outweighs the cost. Talking to a teenage girl who just found out her dad isn't her real dad...discussing with a boy that we can't earn even a PART of our salvation...building relationships with lost souls, and having the Holy Spirit birth deep love for them in my heart...yes. Yes, this is worth it. To maybe see added souls around the Throne on That Day, for hearts to be changed and lives saved. God doesn't need me. I know that well. But in His kindness, He lets me watch what He's doing. What He's apart of. Where He's working.

It's not all fun and games. It's costly. It's uncomfortable. It's messy. But it is worth it. Oh, I know its so worth it.