Recently, I went into a bank to set up some investments for the future. They gave some options for investments length: Short (maxing out at 5 years?
As I was wondering this, I was chatting to a friend about the state of the healthcare system and power system in New Zealand. Most of you may not have heard about the challenges faced by New Zealand’s healthcare system recently, but suffice to say, it seems there is a chronic shortage of staff and capacity.
My friend reflected that he thinks this is due to a lack of investment and infrastructure over the past 30 years. As demand has increased, subsequent investment in expanding capacity has failed to keep up.
Both these events sparked something within me. How is it possible that we as a society have grown so short-sighted that we think long-term is 5 years?
Heavenward goals
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew chapter 6, verse 19)
Friends, this sort of thinking has seeped into the church. We think that staying in a given place for more than 10 years is too long and wanderlust sets in. Phones are upgraded every 3-4 years. Shoes are designed to be disposable once the soles wear off.
Things that were not consumable before have been made consumable and disposable. Relationships are generally considered to be transient – and hence disposable. What are some other areas of life where short term thinking prevails?
I’m particularly concerned about the last area. Jesus set a mandate to transform the world through people – through his disciples. He didn’t give them 50 years and all the resources they could ever ask for. He gave them over 2000 years (and counting) and more resources than they could possibly imagine (Ephesians chapter 3, verse 20) – yet the task remains incomplete.
Eternal perspective
What are the treasures in heaven that will last? Are they not the fruits of the spirit? Are they not the souls of our fellow brothers and sisters? These are things of eternal value that we should be investing in.
I’m positing that our character will last into eternity. Over the course of a lifetime, if I invest in building myself and being transformed into Christlikeness, I’ll start to enjoy a return on my investment and grow.
Additional growth begets further growth and the benefits of compound interest begin to show (apologies for the financial analogy – it’s to tie back to my initial illustration!).
Similarly, if I don’t address a character flaw and allow it to grow, it begins to dominate and define who I am. We become what we focus on – so as we focus on Christ, we become more like Christ; if we focus on something else, we become like that. Therefore, it’s worth putting in the time to address these “small” issues now.
Outward view
Now, if that is a perspective on one person (ourselves), what if we turn it outwards? We have friends and family who are seeking to fill the void that only God can fill with non-God things, concepts, etc (idols, if you will).
Should we not be investing in their long-term health too? This means we should invest in relationships, rather than treating them as transient and disposable. We should be building each other up, rebuking in gentle love, rather than letting things be.
Lastly, and most significantly, we should make every effort to turn people to Christ, because anything less than Christ will simply serve to deform them in view of eternity.
Yes, it can be costly, when has anything valuable been anything less than costly? Jesus invested in 12 disciples during his ministry and thought that was enough of a deep and long lasting investment. We should also hold to a similar view.
Do you want your choices and life to leave a legacy that will carry on throughout the generations here on earth, and forever on into eternity in heaven? Then, we should live our lives with eternity ever in view and spend ourselves on things that will last.