Investing for the Future

 

"I've come up with an awesome way to make a bunch of money, Dad?"  Elliot said to me.

"Really?"  I asked.  "Does this mean that your mother and I won't need to support you any more?"

"Well..."  Elliot hesitated.  "It may take a while to make that much money.  This is more so that I have money to spend on fun things that I want."

"So, what is your plan?"  I asked my financial genius of a son.

"It's really simple, Dad," he told me.  "See, you just buy Lego sets and don't open them.  Then, a year or two after they discontinue the set, you can sell them for a lot more than you paid for them."

"Really?"  I had a number of concerns about this plan, but I didn't want to shoot it down too quickly.

"Sure," Elliot said.  "You know that Lego City train set you bought ten years ago?"  

"Yes," I said.

"How much did you pay for it?"

"I don't remember," I said.  "Probably a little over 100 dollars."

"Well, it is selling for over 600 dollars now!"  Elliot said triumphantly.  "You see what I mean?"

I did see, although I wasn't certain how effective a money making scheme this would be.  It certainly was a get rich quick scheme -- more like gain small amounts of money slowly.

There is something more.  Legos were created to be opened, played with, and built with.  The idea of holding them unopened in a closet for some hoped for day when they will be worth lots of money feels wrong.

In the same way, the purpose of humans is something more than making money.  Certainly there are sad people who have made that their ultimate goal, but there is more to life than playing the game, "Who Wants to be a Thousandaire?"

I Timothy 6:17-19 says "Tell those who are rich in this present world not to be contemptuous of others, and not to rest the weight of their confidence on the transitory power of wealth, but on the living God, who generously give us everything for our enjoyment.  Tell them to do good, to be rich in kindly actions, to be ready to give to others and to sympathize with those in distress.  Their security should be invested in the life to come so that they may be sure of holding a share in the life which is permanent."

There are so many ideas in these few verses.  Most of all, it speaks of investments and what is truly important.

When we learn to glorify God and serve others, we are taking a path that leads to satisfaction.  All too many waste their efforts chasing things that won't satisfy and completely missing what is their real purpose -- much like an unopened Lego box waiting in a closet to be sold for Great Profit.