Count the cost!

Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were following him. He turned around and addressed them as follows: “Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—yes, more than his own life—otherwise he cannot be my disciple. And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me.
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if he has enough money to pay the bills? Otherwise he might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh! “‘See that fellow there?’ they would mock. ‘He started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!’ “Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are marching against him? “If the decision is negative, then while the enemy troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms of peace. So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings — and then renounces them all for me.

Food for thought!

Jesus is a strategist. And he knows about business, including the business of life. Yes, because life is a business, it needs a business plan. We all do need a business plan for our life. As Allison Rimm said, “The joy of a life well lived - our work well done, our cherished ones well loved, our potential realized. Isn’t that what we’re all after? You don’t need to leave your dreams to chance. However, achieving this most fundamental and often elusive goal doesn’t just happen. It requires a strategy.”

This is what Jesus is telling us in the gospel reading of today: no one begins construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if he as enough money to pay the bills; or no one wages war against an enemy twice as powerful as he or she is. Jesus is saying that in the business world, no one take an uncalculated life. In other words, we cannot leave fulfilling our dreams to chance; we have to have a plan for our life. If we don't, we will spend our life simply responding to what others want from us.

Yes, we need a strategic plan for life. But what is a strategic plan, and how can we make one? Well, someone defined it for us: “Strategic planning is the process of identifying your purpose and core values, setting goals, and developing the approach that is most likely to achieve them. A strategic plan serves as a road map that defines our destination and shows you how you can use your talents to take you there.” (Allison Rimm).

Purpose: according to St. Paul, “everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” (Colossians 1:16). It means that if we want to know our purpose of life we must begin with God.

Core values: Values are beliefs or convictions that guide and direct our behavior and support our purpose in life. Our values define who each of us is. By the way, my personal values are: being just; obeying God rather than men; leading a simple life; education; prudence in what I do, and being humble (these are the letters of my name, JOSEPH). What are yours?

Goals. There 4 basic ones: having good spiritual life; having good wealth; having good health; and having good family or social life. Every week spend a few minutes thinking about your four life goals. Remember that everything you do takes you closer to or further away from these goals. Develop an approach / plan / strategy that enhances your goals; avoid all that hinders your goals.