Investments Worth the Risk

I think the most important investment you can make is an investment in others. The return for this investment is one of the most rewarding, but also can be one of the most risky. The commonly accepted definition of an investment risk is "a deviation from the expected outcome.", whether positive or negative. With investment, there is always a risk, but when investing in people, I would argue the risk is even greater because what's at stake is your heart. People don't make investments unless what they are investing in is worth the risk. Others, are worth the risk.

This notion is so close to my heart because who I am today has been shaped by those who have invested in me. My faith has been deepened, my heart has been opened, and my life has been changed by others deciding that I was worth their time. To me, investments have looked like conversations over coffee, words of encouragement, listening ears, letters in the mail, prayers whispered, prayers shouted, car rides, calls/texts answered, when others have shown up, when others have stayed, and simply just time with those who I hold dear.

But even greater than that, I think investing in others is how others are led to the feet of Jesus.

Matthew 5: 14-16 (MSG) says "...Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

We are asked to be generous with our lives. When I think of the word generous in relation to my life, my first thought is to accomplish that means to spend time with others and to share life with others, but I think living generously with my life also means taking the time to encourage, to speak life, to pray boldly for, and to serve. To put others needs, wants, and desires before my own. To show up. "Jesus had most of His followers by the time He'd said hello. Being present is all the information most people need" (Bob Goff).

It's the desire of my heart for lifts those in my life to feel invested in. I want to be someone who encourages and others up. I want to be someone who is dependable and consistent in my love. I want to be someone who takes the time to claim the promises of God over others. When I go out to dinner, I want to be done with my food first because I'm too busy listening to talk. I want to pour out my love on others until they find themselves at the feet of the One who loves them most.

David Kinnaman, in his book Unchristian, says that "our task is to be effective agents of spiritual transformation in people's lives, whatever that may cost in time, comfort or image. " Whatever it costs, whatever the risk: Others, are worth it. The best investment you can make is an investment in people.