Like it or not, it’s Five Minute Friday time.

To be honest, this week’s prompt was problematic. The word — COST — just never really germinated. As you’ll see, I started in one direction, then pivoted toward an entirely different path. The best part of the assignment is coming — reading what my fellow members in this special writing community came up with.

Feel free to contribute your own take on the prompt word COST. And don’t forget to check out our Five Minute Friday spot on Facebook at fiveminutefriday.com and read the remarkable takes on the word from other writers in the group.

Under Kate Motaung’s direction, hundreds of bloggers rally around a themed word and, well, write for five minutes. No rules. No backtracks. Nothing profound. Not perfect. Just five minutes of writing, letting the Spirit move you … on Friday … Saturday … or sometimes beyond.

I’ve been using testimonials about the group and the exercise from other members as collected in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Flat. This week’s it’s by Jen. I hope she inspires you to give this writing activity a shot. I hope at least her words inspire you to at least give this writing workout a look.

“FMF gave me a voice when I had none. In the midst of a messy divorce and really sad time it brought me community. I had an outlet for my words, thoughts and feelings that was safe and welcoming and where my sharing, honesty and being real was encouraged. Rather that hiding from what felt like the worst failure of my life (which is what I wanted to do for years) FMF helped me find myself again, little by little, one week at a time.”

Our word this week is COST. Let’s start the timer and GO…

“How much is that going to cost?

“What’s the cost?”

Typical questions. Cost is usually equated with monetary value or worth. But …

The reality is every thing we do — not just buy — has a cost. It might be time. It might be integrity. It might even be friendships.

When we shade our actions, those actions have  consequences … and it could very well cost us not only financially but also in our most valued asset — trust. You could write it off as a cost of doing business or part of living … or you can be very careful to keep your actions above reproach. Others are looking at you — including the Big Guy.

Yes, God is watching. While He opens His arms wide over and over again, He also sees the rest of the story. He knows what makes us tick. He knows when we’re cutting corners — or worse … STOP

— sinning.

I don’t know about you, but I not only want the Lord to love me, but also to trust me. He presents us with daily reminders  of His benevolence — mostly ordinary day-to-day activities — but we all too often take them for granted and fail to recognize where they came from.

This is a good time — the season of Thanksgiving — to look up when we see that last rose of summer, that first snowfall, that sunrise or sunset. You get the picture. And all it costs is a brief second or two to say “Wow! Thanks!”

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you. — Dr. Seuss