In a world of finite resources, especially time and money, how we as individuals choose to allocate or invest those resources is quite important. We don’t want to be wasteful, and if we are honest, we really prefer to see a return on our investment. Or, to put it more plainly, we like to see results.
In many ways, it is very important to focus on results. Farmers don’t labor over their fields in the spring, planting their crops, if they don’t have a reasonable expectation of yielding a harvest in the fall. Parents don’t invest in the education of their children without expecting them to gain knowledge in core critical areas of learning. And businesses don’t make investments in employees and equipment without expecting that profits will ultimately cover the costs of delivering goods and services to the market.
Yet if we are always focused on results, we may be persuaded to not make investments in areas where there seems to be a limited chance of success. Particularly when we start talking about investing in people, it is easy to convince ourselves to not even begin to pour ourselves into someone because it may seem like they couldn’t possibly achieve the results that we want to see. After all, if we make substantial investments into a “high risk” person, and things don’t turn out as we had hoped, there are far too many people who are willing to chime in with some version of “I told you so.”
The problem with this way of thinking is that we think we know what the proper result or outcome should be, and we often have a timeline associated with that. It is difficult for us to allow for the possibility that the kindness that we showed and the investments that we made in someone might not produce fruit for years, particularly if those fruit bearing years might occur long after we are gone. And we also tend to neglect the possibility that perhaps what God really wanted as an outcome was the impact on our own hearts more so than the impact on the person that we were hoping to help.
Yes, results are important. However, the one who ultimately determines what is successful is God. The Apostle Paul said it beautifully when he wrote “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” In God’s eyes, what is most important is that we be willing to plant seeds and water them, without regard for the growth. The growth, and the true measure of success, is entirely up to God. Therefore, if He is calling us to make investments that seem like they will never produce a return, we should be grateful that He saw fit to provide us with those resources and then use them as He directs us, all the while trusting that the end result is exactly what the Creator of the Universe wants.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron
Pastor’s Perspective in a small community June 9, 2022
In a world of finite resources, especially time and money, how we as individuals choose to allocate or invest those resources is quite important. We don’t want to be wasteful, and if we are honest, we really prefer to see a return on our investment. Or, to put it more plainly, we like to see results.
In many ways, it is very important to focus on results. Farmers don’t labor over their fields in the spring, planting their crops, if they don’t have a reasonable expectation of yielding a harvest in the fall. Parents don’t invest in the education of their children without expecting them to gain knowledge in core critical areas of learning. And businesses don’t make investments in employees and equipment without expecting that profits will ultimately cover the costs of delivering goods and services to the market.
Yet if we are always focused on results, we may be persuaded to not make investments in areas where there seems to be a limited chance of success. Particularly when we start talking about investing in people, it is easy to convince ourselves to not even begin to pour ourselves into someone because it may seem like they couldn’t possibly achieve the results that we want to see. After all, if we make substantial investments into a “high risk” person, and things don’t turn out as we had hoped, there are far too many people who are willing to chime in with some version of “I told you so.”
The problem with this way of thinking is that we think we know what the proper result or outcome should be, and we often have a timeline associated with that. It is difficult for us to allow for the possibility that the kindness that we showed and the investments that we made in someone might not produce fruit for years, particularly if those fruit bearing years might occur long after we are gone. And we also tend to neglect the possibility that perhaps what God really wanted as an outcome was the impact on our own hearts more so than the impact on the person that we were hoping to help.
Yes, results are important. However, the one who ultimately determines what is successful is God. The Apostle Paul said it beautifully when he wrote “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” In God’s eyes, what is most important is that we be willing to plant seeds and water them, without regard for the growth. The growth, and the true measure of success, is entirely up to God. Therefore, if He is calling us to make investments that seem like they will never produce a return, we should be grateful that He saw fit to provide us with those resources and then use them as He directs us, all the while trusting that the end result is exactly what the Creator of the Universe wants.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron