Investment

Not really sure why but this summer I have spent a good bit to time thinking about what it means to invest. No, I am not talking about what I might need to do to open a new account at Merrill Lynch or Raymond James or the like.  This has been about spiritual investment, the kind that Jesus described so vividly in Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV):

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I realized that while I had gone through the motions of prayer, Bible study, and the engagement of others – that is really all that was going on – motions. I had heard about folks being in a spiritual desert but I always thought, “That will never happen to me!”  Oh.so.wrong…..  I am sure you know you can convince yourself of anything and I convinced myself I was doing all I could or even needed to do. Wrong. I was just wandering….

I did realize the very first thing I had to do was invest again in God’s Word.  I cannot tell you how hard that was to rebuild that habit of starting the day with Him and going to Him rather than wallowing in the crisis du jour. Little by little, I am finding my way back. And in this renewed journey, I found in old familiar and favorite scriptures new revelations, and with these, new encouragement, new opportunities, and renewed peace.

The greatest surprise was how He put unexpected people in my path, folks who needed things that are my gifts while I needed theirs – sort of a mutual investment strategy. Mostly I realized I WANTED to reach out to others where mostly for a long time I had been hiding from both God and His people and that I wanted to give back AND that I still could do that.

Am I where I need to be – no, not completely. Do I have hope – absolutely. Is God done with me yet. No, thankfully, He is not. While looking for something else, I ran across this quote last night from Toby Mac’s #speaklife series.  It sums this up better than I ever could!

Still Choosing Joy!

Cille