Investing Well
I’m sitting on my couch with my laptop perched on lap. My phone dings periodically, the dryer buzzer alerts me there is a load ready to be folded and the dishwasher whirs quietly. My text book is open on the coffee table beside my tea that got cold before I could drink it. My to do list for work keeps beaconing me in my mind, reminding me that there are some deadlines very quickly approaching. I’ve got chicken thawing for dinner and I’m thinking ahead to our family’s plans for the evening.
There are always a dozen different things competing for our everyday moments. So, how do we know where to give our energy, attention, and time? How do we order our days and our lives for maximum impact? Maybe the answer lies in what we give ourselves to.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 NIV
The context of this verse is speaking of financial treasure, but I believe it holds true for the treasure of our energy and attention as well. Just as we’re presented with a million things competing for our everyday moments, we’re also presented with a million opportunities to invest our the treasure of our energy and attention in ways that draw us closer to God.
God honors every move we make towards him and he meets us when we turn towards him. As we choose to spend time with God, our love for him grows and grows. Our desire to be with him just keeps increasing as we prioritize being with him. Not only that, we’re changed as we spend time in God’s presence.
I’m sure you’ve heard that you become like those people that you spend time with. This is exponentially more true when it comes to spending time with God. Time with Father, Son, and Spirit transforms us.
I wonder what it might look for us to be people who invest the treasure of our energy and attention well? Maybe this looks like getting up a little earlier to pray, read scripture, and journal. It might look like speaking words of life to your family in the morning. It could look like turning on worship music as you get ready for work or using your morning commute as a time of prayer. Maybe it is shifting your thoughts toward gratitude when the day gets difficult or praying for your co-workers when there’s a challenge in the office.
It could look like using your lunch break to look for God in creation. It might look like encouraging your family while you cook and then sitting down to dinner and sharing the blessings you each saw throughout your day. Maybe it looks like praying for your kids as you fold their laundry or clean up for the night. It could also look like personal reflection and prayer as you drift off to sleep.
I believe God’s invitation is to meet with us in those kind of everyday moments. His desire is to connect with us and for us to connect with him, right where we are. That’s what it looks like to invest the treasures of our attention and energy into our relationship with God.
And according to his word, our heart will be where our investment is. Our love for God will grow as we’re changed in his presence. Our heart will be changed to look more like the heart of God and we will be people who live and love more like Jesus. That’s the kind of life that makes an impact! That’s the way we maximize our moments and change the world for the better!
Prayer:
Father God, thank you that you want to meet us in our everyday moments. Help us to be people who invest the treasures of our attention and energy into our relationship with you by inviting you into our everyday moments. God, change us as we prioritize presence with you. Allow us to impact the world for good as you help us to live and love like Jesus. Amen.
Scripture Meditation:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 NIV
Journal Reflection:
How might you invest the treasures of your attention and energy into your relationship with God? How could that look in your everyday moments?
Practice:
Choose one moment of your daily routine and invest your treasure into your relationship with God by inviting him into it each day this week. For example, maybe listen to worship music during your commute. Pray for your family as you do their laundry. Use your morning run to look for God in creation.