I thought I was going to write about something else today.
But I went to a conference a couple weeks ago. And what I heard, which I’ll share with you today, has resonated with me ever since.
The three-day conference was called “Redeeming Money.” And the focus was on investing. It was held by Kingdom Advisors, an organization of Christian financial advisors, planners, and others in the industry. I knew I’d come away with more investing knowledge than I had gone there with. And I did. Only… what I walked away with had everything to do with a different kind of investing…
The Takeaways
The primary purpose of me being there was to share about a small group study that would teach financial advisors and their clients about “finishing well.” And my secondary purpose was to take advantage of an opportunity to learn more about sound investing practices and methods. But three moments set me on a different trajectory… The first one was when one man walked up to me and one of my colleagues and mentors while we were talking. He didn’t approach us to ask about the small group study we were there to talk about. Instead, he asked for prayer. He said he didn’t know what to do. All he knew was that he didn’t want to pray alone… And so, for the next few moments, we prayed for and with him. The second moment was during one of the general sessions, when one of the speakers talked about fear.
He said, don’t fear the future, and don’t fear what others’ perception of you will be. Why? Because no matter what, God is in control. The third moment was during another general session, when a speaker talked about forgiveness… of all things. She said, forgiveness isn’t based on our determination; it’s our cooperation with what Jesus Christ has already done for us… Maybe what you’re reading right now is something you value. Maybe it’s something you needed to be reminded of. Or maybe what you’re reading is new to you. I don’t know what your life may look like. And you may not believe in God. But that’s okay. Maybe none of this makes sense to you. My hope is that, one day, it will. This conference was a reminder of what’s really important. Pray… Pray for yourself. Pray for others. Don’t fear… God doesn’t take you to a point in your life, not to bring you through it. And forgive. This is a big one. It’s a process, to say the least. Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is the one looking back in the mirror.
But because God forgave us, we must choose to forgive others (Mark 11:25). Including ourselves…
The Best Investment
The world always has its eye on the stock market. The S&P 500, The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq 100. And with what’s going on in the world, financial advisors and other experts have all kinds of advice for how to weather the volatility: “buy the dip,” “readjust your portfolio allocation,” etc.
But the best advice I heard at Redeeming Money had nothing to do with any of that.
Praying, trusting in spite of fear, and forgiveness… These three things all boil down to investing. Just in a different way.
You never know how much praying for someone will mean. You never know how much of a difference it makes for someone to see you pressing forward despite your fear. And you never know how life-changing it could be for someone to be forgiven or for someone to see you forgive others.
God’s investment is in people… Us.
And I am now challenged every day to invest in others, too.
Because when it’s done with love, it’s the one and only investment that will bring the greatest reward.
With gratitude,
Melody C. Kerr, MS
Writer, Editor, Financial Coach
P.S. The free small group study I mentioned earlier is a financial discipleship study offered by Compass – finances God’s way. And this ministry offers several others. If you want to know more about investing in the Kingdom and “finishing well,” you can learn how to join one of these studies right here.
