The Cost of BEcoming

Sometimes the weight of BEcoming discourages us enough to remain the same.

What if I fail?
What if no one understands?
What if it doesn’t work out this time?
What if I can’t handle it?

Sometimes becoming more seems to cost so much more than we want—or think we have—to give.

There are decisions that require courage. Seasons that require separation. Opportunities that require us to leave what is comfortable before we have fully experienced what is next. And sometimes, even when we know God is calling us forward, we find ourselves calculating the cost and wondering if we can afford to pay it.

But perhaps there is another question we should be asking:

What will it cost me if I don't BEcome?

Strategies

As you make pivotal decisions about your life, purpose, calling, and who you are being compelled to BEcome, consider these questions:

What are the actual costs?
What will this decision require from you? Time? Money? Discipline? Sacrifice? A change in routine? A willingness to begin again?

What are the opportunity costs?
What might you have to say no to in order to say yes to what is next? And just as importantly, what opportunities might you lose by choosing to remain where you are?

What is waiting on the other side of this change?
Not simply what can you lose—but what could you gain? What becomes possible when you finally make the decision you have been afraid to make?

Sit with these questions for a while.

Pray and ask God what HIS will is for this time and season of your life. Ask HIM to show you whether the cost you are afraid to pay is actually preparation for what you have been praying to receive. Ask HIM to strengthen you so that you have the courage to answer the call.

Connections

I have chosen to see BEcoming a lot like getting in shape.

When we first go to the gym and begin a new regimen or routine, it's hard. Muscles we haven't used in a while begin to hurt. The workout seems longer than it actually is. Finishing a session can feel like it takes everything in us.

But we keep going.

Session after session, something begins to change.

What once exhausted us becomes manageable. What once required tremendous effort becomes part of our routine. Eventually, we may even begin looking forward to the workout.

And then we notice something else.

We don't just see the difference in the mirror—we feel the difference. We have more strength. More endurance. We sleep differently. We move differently. We begin making healthier choices because they align with the person we are becoming.

What if we viewed our personal BEcoming the same way?

The first boundary may be difficult.

The first "no" may make you uncomfortable.

Walking away from what you've outgrown may hurt.

Starting again may feel exhausting.

Believing God when you cannot yet see how everything will work out may stretch your faith.

But keep going.

The more you choose to believe God, believe in what HE placed inside of you, and take the next step toward BEcoming, the more natural those choices become.

Eventually, you begin to love what you see when you look back at yourself in the mirror—not because you have arrived, but because you recognize the woman looking back at you.

You enjoy healthier boundaries.

You become more intentional about the people surrounding you.

You find yourself connecting with others who are thriving, growing, healing, building, and becoming too.

And eventually, BEcoming doesn't feel like something you're trying to do.

It begins to feel like who you are.

Words

Maybe the question isn't whether BEcoming will cost you something.

It will.

Growth costs.

Healing costs.

Obedience costs.

Discipline costs.

Purpose costs.

But remaining somewhere God is calling you out of has a cost too.

So before deciding that the price of your next season is too high, consider the price of staying exactly where you are.

There may be strength on the other side of this stretch.

There may be peace on the other side of this boundary.

There may be purpose on the other side of this obedience.

There may be a version of you on the other side who will someday look back and be grateful that you decided the cost was worth it.

So keep showing up.

Keep doing the reps.

Keep making the hard decisions.

Keep choosing what is healthy.

Keep believing God.

And keep BEcoming.

Because one day, what feels difficult in this season may simply feel like your new nature in the next.