A Wise Investment

When I was a financial advisor, I would have clients come into my office and tell me about a guy at the office who made a lot of money off of a high risk investment. They would tell me that they wanted some of the same investment or something like it. I would respond with:

Good for him! I'm glad he was lucky enough to get a big gain out of that investment. But it could have, and more often than not it does, had a very detrimental effect on his portfolio. You see, investments like that, although they can provide a short term gain, often end in a long term loss. There is a tremendous amount of risk in those types of investments. People who see gains from them receive those gains more often from luck than they do from any skill or knowledge of the market. So, I, as your advisor, do not recommend you put any money into these high risk investments. Rather, I recommend a long term investment strategy that may not have high short term gains, but in the end will provide a more steady revenue growth.

 My clients would listen to me and my advice, and most of them would agree with me. However, sometimes, I would have a client insist that I buy some of this investment for him. I would tell him that I work for him and I will do what he instructs me to do with his money. I would also be firm with him about the fact that I do not recommend what he is asking me to do. I would tell him that I just don't see it as a wise investment.

How do we invest our life, our time and our energy? Do we make decisions that provide us a short term gain? For example, are our decisions based on lust, pride, envy, or gluttony? There is a very attractive short term gain to these decisions. They fulfill carnal desires and puff up our self-esteem. But, what is the long term gain from making decisions based on these sins? More often than not, there is none. Rather, the long term effects of sin leads to pain and suffering in this life, and, ultimately, life in hell.

We should make wise investments with our life, investments that have a long term benefit instead of a short term gain. We should be chaste, humble, kind, and temperate. There may be no visible short term gains from living a life of virtue. It is a hard life, one that requires a lot of work. But the rewards are far greater than the short-term gain of sin. The rewards lead to a stronger will, better relationships, and a peace that cannot be matched. The rewards are eternal life.

Christ is recommending to us the same thing I recommended to my clients. He is advising us to choose the investments that have a long term gain instead of a short term sense of pleasure and satisfaction. If we choose a life of sin, He won't stop us, but He will tell us that He doesn't see it as a wise investment. He advises a life of virtue. Now that is a wise investment.

Standing on the Precipice

I stood on the precipice, looking down. From where I stood, the valley looked beautiful. I kept staring at it, yearning to jump off the cliff and into the beautiful valley. The urge was strong. I told myself that it was completely safe, that I would not die if I jumped off the cliff. I told myself that I would float peacefully down into the valley, and once there I would enjoy the rich and fragrant beauty that would surround me.

The temptation to jump was so strong. It was overpowering me. I felt such an urge to jump off the cliff and into the beautiful valley that I lifted a foot and held it out over the edge of the cliff as though about to step off the edge. I wanted to do it. I wanted to feel myself float peacefully down into the valley. I wanted to lay in the lush grass, smell the beautiful flowers, and listen to the songs of the birds. I wanted to be absorbed into the lush and breathtaking beauty that awaited me below.

But I stopped myself. I placed my foot firmly back on the ground, and I closed my eyes. I stood there with my eyes closed for what seemed an eternity, although in reality it couldn't have been more than a few moments. I thought about what I was about to do. I had an internal battle with myself:

"Jump off the cliff? You've got to be crazy! I don't care what's down there. The fall is going to kill you!"

"No it won't, you idiot! You surely will not die. Look at the beauty down there. You will forever be happy if you go. Do it! You won't regret it!"

I can't, it's too dangerous!"

No it's not! It's what you've always wanted. Look! Open your eyes and look! It's beautiful!"

"I....can't.....I.....won't......I WON'T!"

And with that, I opened my eyes and looked over the precipice again. The valley had changed.  It was no longer a sunlit, fragrant, beautiful scene. It had turned dark and dreary. The grass, the flowers, the trees had been replaced with jagged rocks and barren wasteland. The songbirds with their beautiful melodies had been replaced with the loud screeching caw of vultures, hungry for flesh. My eyes were opened. I saw the truth.

I turned away from the precipice and saw that the beautiful valley I had sought off the edge of the cliff was all around me. I didn't need to go anywhere or do anything to smell the beautiful fragrances and lay in the lush field. I didn't need to jump off a cliff to hear the beautiful songbirds or feel the warmth of the sun. I just needed to open my eyes and see the Truth.

How often are we tempted with the things of this world--greed, power, prestige, money, sex, possessions? They come across to us initially as something beautiful, something to be desired and yearned for. Yet, when we close our eyes and reflect on these things, our eyes are opened to a different picture. There is no lasting beauty, peace, or happiness in seeking out the things of this world. Sex won't bring us love. Money and prestige won't bring us acceptance. Power and possessions won't bring us happiness. They lead us to a barren wasteland and, ultimately, death.

Yet, if we turn around, and open our eyes to the Truth, we will find that all the beauty, all of the splendor that we are seeking is right there, surrounding us. God's Love is everywhere. God's Truth is all around us. We just need to open our eyes and see.