Counting the Cost

I hesitate to write this but I have an itch and need to scratch it. The recent tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the loss of life on an oil rig, and the unfolding ecological nightmare, serves as an object lesson on competing "costs" in the decisions we make.

A few years ago as gas prices rocketed upwards, the cry rang out for more off-shore exploration. "Drill now," was the mantra of those who urged for energy independence. After all, oil is the life-blood of the modern economy. Those who urged caution were castigated as naive idealists, unwilling to face the economic and political realities of a changing world.

Now, in the wake of this spreading disaster, likely to take a toll on a Gulf Coast that is still vulnerable after Hurricane Katrina's effects, the voices that cried out for drilling now sound shrill and their vision short-sighted. The economic and political realities of this oil spill are likely to be catastrophic for people, fish and fowl for some time to come.

In counting the cost of decisions we make, we rarely take into account the unforeseen. We often ignore the unintended consequences of our actions. While no one can account for every disaster or catastrophe, the failure of supposedly "fail-safe" safety measures to work demonstrates either a lack of preparedness, or plain human arrogance. We hope for the best and rarely plan for the worst. We do not count the cost.

Jesus said something about "counting the cost," of discipleship. In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus suggests that a man who begins to build a tower but doesn't prepare for the cost of finishing it will appear a fool to observers. We might wonder if the petroleum company which is responsible for the oil rig in question has adequately prepared for the possibility of disaster. But the cost, in this case, is greater than the billions of dollars it will take to clean up the mess. There is the collateral cost of lost livlihoods, damage to the ecosystem, and lost tourism - costs not likely to be borne by the petroleum company in question. The costs of "something going wrong," you see, have not been factored in, in the interests of immediate satisfaction and immediate financial gain. And at the risk of sounding cynical, well-paid lobbyists will probably influence politicians to keep it that way.

There is a cost to all the choices we make. We choose to make a quick buck, perhaps, ignorant of unintended consequences to others. Or, maybe we just don't care. There's plenty of that attitude in the world.

But Jesus calls us to care. Jesus calls us to count the cost. Jesus calls us to take into account how our actions have consequences for good, or ill. Good intentions, perhaps, are not enough. Perhaps we need to look ahead and see if we have enough to finish the tower before we begin. Perhaps we need to look ahead and see that in following Jesus, there may be a cross on a hill for us as well. And what a difference that cost is, compared to the lesson of the oil spill.

In counting the cost of following Jesus, it is the followers of Jesus who bear the cost on behalf of others, rather than expecting someone else to pick up the tab. You see, we follow the example of Jesus whose life-blood was spilled for the sake of a broken world, where failure to count the cost is seen as good business. Followers of Jesus are not in this life for the short-term gain, but for the long-haul, indeed, for eternity. We are not here to take what we can get while we can get it, and then make a heavenly exit in the nick of time. No, we are here expecting a new heaven and a new earth, and a new Jerusalem where God will dwell with us on this good creation (Revelation 21:1-6). What we do to this creation matters in the overall scheme of things. It is important to count the cost, the whole cost, for our generation and for generations to come.