Investing in My Life

I was reflecting on a celebration and memorial service for a dear friend. Flo lived 86 years. Underline “Lived.” Living life is an intentional action. Flo was a remarkable person who embraced those around her as her own family. Somehow, she managed to knead humor and compassion into her version of the bread of life that she served at her table. Growing up during the great depression, she and her family were poor. At the service it was said by a cousin that she did not dream of a life she did not have, rather she invested in her own. Powerful. Flo somehow dodged the human tendency to compare, envy and covet. She was given a gift and she treasured it, loved it, and invested in her life every day.

What a great Lenten lesson: invest in your life. Of course this sounds simple. Not so easy though, because before I can invest in my life, I have to know myself. That takes work, maybe painful work. It begins with silence, prayer and a focus on the Creator and Giver of life. Because I am made in the image and likeness of God, self-knowledge is connecting, being one, with my Lord. I have to see God in order to see myself, my real self-image. Deepening my relationship with Jesus is investing my life.

I am intrigued by this spiritual financial language. Saving and spending take on new meaning in this spiritual context. The words wealth, rich, bankrupt, debt and divestment have a new power when they are seen through a spiritual lens. In this spiritual framework, investing in my life is really a matter of stewardship. Will I act out of fear and hide my life under a rock, squandering the love poured into me, or will I take some risk, and invest my life, multiplying the generosity of Jesus within me.

Thank you, Flo, I’m sure the words “Well Done,” are yours to hear.