PAYING THE PRICE

“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower [or house?]. 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.’ . . . In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:27-30, 33)

Similkameen River shining blue on this Spring morning

Jesus’ teaching, of course, applies as much to us today in everything we do as it did to the disciples who listened and learned from him firsthand. This passage has a somewhat sobering application to our situation as we complete our cottage and begin the “big” house build. Sitting down and trying to estimate the cost of this whole venture to see if we have enough money to complete it has been a next-to-impossible task because at decision-making time we have truly not been able to predict what each supplier and tradesperson will charge for materials and labour. Hopefully, we won’t find ourselves ridiculed by everyone who sees our home standing unfinished! At this point, we HAVE basically finished the cottage. Just some painting, ceiling mouldings, a few more baseboards, backsplashes, and the bedroom door to go, as well as the exterior cladding. Good timing, as Rick has to turn his attention big time to the house build. Excavating of the building site began Monday and our builders arrive April 10. Wow – exciting and daunting at the same time.

Our little home

What I have been thinking about the last while, however, goes to the deeper meaning of Jesus’ challenge to count the cost. It’s the idea that there is a price to be paid for everything worthwhile in life. Adages abound:

•          Nothing really worth having comes quickly and easily.
•          No pain, no gain.
•          You get what you pay for.
•          Without labor, nothing prospers.
•          There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
•          There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. ¹

Wise people throughout history have repeated this observation; unwise people have learned it the hard way. One could say it's a universal law, conventional wisdom, retributive justice – whatever you want to call it, it is rooted in the truth of the Gospel. This is Holy Week, a time to reflect on what it cost for Christ to redeem the fallen world. The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship introduced the concept of “cheap,” as opposed to costly, grace. Here is the crux of his argument:

“Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man [woman] his life, and it is grace because it gives a man [woman] the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” ²

He coined the term "cheap grace" to denote an erroneous theology which had crept into the church. It was an emphasis on grace without cost, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without discipleship, Jesus without obedience or self-denial, eternal life without giving up anything. Such an easy gospel doesn't fit with the totality of Jesus' teaching and example, and it doesn't make sense when it comes to achieving anything important and ultimately fulfilling. Wisdom tells us that truly valuable things in life don't come cheaply.

As I look over the blog posts I have shared, I want to avoid the Facebook/Instagram pitfall of presenting our adventure as all fun and games, creating the perfect life out here surrounded by gorgeous mountaintops and mild temperatures. We are grateful for this opportunity and marvel that our plans have gone fairly smoothly, but to be honest, the day-to-day has not been all sweetness and light. Some days reverberate with the question, “What else can go wrong?” Full disclosure: Rick is irritated most of the time when he is building or finishing, and that doesn’t create an enjoyable atmosphere. My bent is to strive for excellence in all things, and that isn’t always possible in a DIY program short on professionals, proper work spaces, fancy equipment and funds. In previous blogs, I have listed what we have accomplished and itemized the steps we’ve followed. To balance that out a little, let me give you some examples of things that have gone wrong or proven difficult.

•  Electrical hook-ups and water lines end up in the wrong place for fixtures
• An inexperienced dry-waller attempts his own taping and mudding with disappointing results; attempts to fix it make it worse
•  Needed tools or materials divided between the crawlspace, the truck, the utility trailer, or the storage locker in town are usually not in the first two places you look
• The only counter that is available is not designed for our IKEA cabinets, requiring manufacturing a piece to glue on to the base at the last minute
• Counter installed with great difficulty ends up off level
• Water heater is very big for bathroom space and will be tough to box in
• Ladders, long boards and tools frequently ding up and mark freshly painted walls
• Long trim boards painted outside have to be brought in at night and stacked in the kitchen but stick together, requiring a do-over
• Boards thought to be carefully measured are too short/long and have to be taken down the ladder and back outside to re-cut
• Studs disappear between finding them and putting the screw in
• Brad nailer regularly jams up, requiring a 5-minute disassembling and reloading
• What was supposed to be a generous load of TIG ceiling boards runs out before the bathroom is started
• $80 shipment of parcel from Calgary arrives damaged
• Vanity picked up at Rona is damaged inside box – need to use it, so install it, order another one, uninstall it, take it back and pick up and install the second one
• Meal variety is restricted when living without an oven or slow cooker; baking is non-existent
• Stuff stored under the bed starts to spill out the sides
• Inclement weather seems to occur on days Rick has to saw outside

Depending on how well you know Rick, you may understand that such things don’t go down well as patience and equanimity are not his strong suits. Then there’s me with a critical spirit, who deplores imperfect jobs and gets irritated at Rick’s impatience and volatility. I know – first world problems – and I don’t consider them to be real hardships, but they still prove that nothing worth doing comes easily. Hopefully this venture results in continued growth as we know that God uses weaknesses and difficulties to make us stronger.

Proverbs 4:7 says, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” We are indeed investing all we have in this venture and don’t expect it to be easy, but we are confident that it will be worth the cost. Bonhoeffer also said, “There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler.” ³ True meaning and understanding does not come cheaply. Let us throw off the notion of “cheap grace” as we meditate on the Cross this Easter season. We are not our own; we were bought at a price (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

The above photo shows excavation beginning at the house site from the vantage point of the cottage. It's hard to tell, but the two buildings will be about 75 meters apart. We are thankful for the skill and efficiency of our earthmovers.

Below is the architect's sketch of the house to give you a bit of a sneak peek. The plan uses the slope of the hill with a carport, workshop, utility room, and storage on a lower level underneath our part of the house and Beth and Tim's section all on one level behind that.

Easter glory and Happy Spring!

R & C

References:

¹ https://uprisehigh.com/build-yourself/nothing-comes-easy-quotes/

²  Bonhoeffer, Dietrich in The Cost of Discipleship

³  https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/29333.Dietrich_Bonhoeffer