Counting the Cost

by Jill Duggar

IBLP had put a lot more energy into teaching me to fear the world beyond its doors than it had put into teaching me to trust God and discern for myself how to reach a good and wise decision on any given issue.

It was worth it to find freedom from the guilt and the fear. It was worth it to learn how to think for myself about what I really believed about everything from God and the Bible to how many kids we should have and how they should be educated. It was worth it to discover that standing up for myself or others isn’t a sin or an act of disobedience. It’s a mark of freedom, of self-respect, of dignity. In learning to treat myself more kindly, I am discovering that it’s possible to do the same for others as well.