Is It Worth It?

This is not an easy question to answer usually because I am in a difficult situation when I ask it. I have heard many young moms ask this when they are tired (okay, probably moms of older children, as well) but I can say, "Absolutely, it is worth it." Forgiveness is worth giving. Homeschooling is worth doing. Marriage is worth protecting. Prayer is worth saying, if it is to the One True God. Evangelism is worth pursuing. Family is worth building. God's way is worth following. But then there are other things that are just not worth going through trials to achieve: I will not work at being a geek, or keeping manicured nails, or run really fast, or . . . Right now, I am believing that following the Marshall Protocol will be worth it. As I have mentioned before, I have been warned that symptoms will reappear and be even worse than before due to poisons released as the bacteria die. In fact, at our last support group meeting, some people mentioned that it felt like you had a really bad hangover--but you can just work through it. Well, I did not consider this particular comment very much maybe because I never experienced a hangover. That was until I bumped up the minocycline dosage(the first antibiotic). 24 hours later, I was a fuzzball. I could not think. I felt like I was moving through water with constant pressure around me. Everything bothered me both internally and externally. I wanted to close everything out. Nothing seemed to help except maybe time. I mused to my husband that if this is what a hangover feels like, why do people get drunk? Is it worth it? When my mind returned to me, I pondered that when in sin, I do not ask this question, "Is it worth it?" Or, if I do ask the question, I justify my actions, or make shallow responses. I do not want to or choose not to ask this question: Is it worth it? If I honestly did ask this question, I would see that the sin that so easily entangles me is not worth it--not for the immediate or earthly consequences, but also not in light of the weight of glory of my Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal plan in my life. Bitterness is not worth holding. Ignorance is not worth keeping . Division is not worth the cost. Failing to pray is not worth the time "it saves". Timid in proclaiming the gospel is not worth the life. Easily irritated is not worth the destruction. Turning from God's way is not worth the consequences. I am considering these things when my mind is clear. I pray that I will also think them when it is dulled by bacterial poison or the subtle poison of temptation. Is it worth it? Is it worth it to face the consequences of my sin? Is it worth it to negatively affect those around me? Is it worth it to turn one heart from Christ? Is it worth it to make it so God does not hear my prayer? Is it worth it to put nails through my Lord's hands?