Love is expensive.

Have you noticed?

And I'm not referring to the pretty steady wining and dining of your significant other, extravagant vacations, or how much you spend on your kids' toys, the amount you pay for them to attend preschool or the money you stash away each month towards their college fund, though each of those things costs a pretty hard-earned penny.

What I am referring to, though, is what it costs you, daily, and over time, to love

your spouse,

your kids,

yourself,

all while you try to find the time to tend to your non-living passions or stuff that pays the bills.

It's a high price you must pay to love and be loved well, but if you're willing to value secure, inimitable connections and rock-solid relationships over everyday comfort and ease, well, I've got to tell you that I think you'll come out ahead, getting even more than you're paying for.

Loving others is a tough job -- others, including

friends,

parents,

siblings,

spouses,

and even your kids.

They can all be a pretty significant pain in the butt, and so it can feel like a real challenge to always exercise compassion, grace, and unconditional love in their direction.

To love someone well, it takes voluntary, intentional effort and for most of us overworked, overstressed and underpaid adults, we don't feel like giving anything to anyone without getting something pretty valuable in return.

But here's what I think...

Love -- given by you to anyone -- will likely cost you

time,

energy,

peace,

your sense of calm,

and, occasionally, your sanity.

BUT, what you get in return, 99.9% of the time, is the returned love of someone willing to give up the same for you.

Love is hard.

And, though it should be, it isn't always patient or kind.

It is occasionally envious, proud, and, at times, self-seeking.

It can easily anger, and it's naive to think that it doesn't keep track of wrongs.

Of course, most who give love, don't delight in evil and do rejoice in the truth, but sometimes we do stop

protecting,

hoping,

and trusting.

Why?

Because love is expensive and, more often than most of us care to admit, it's so costly that loving "our people," neighbors, and job, it depletes us of our ability to always say and do the right thing and act most compassionately.

But, hear this:

Love never fails, and this is why...

because though it may seem like you're paying a really high price in the name of these complicated and consuming relationships, there's nothing that you will ever treasure more in your life than having the receiver of your love, be someone who thinks that YOU are worth the same expense.