A Time to Remember
This week before I open our first class in Mexico, Grace and I have had the opportunity to attend the weddings of two of our former college students. It is both a joy and a poignant reminder of how fast time passes in each of our lives. On Saturday we witnessed Chet and Legna's union in Kansas City. Chet grew up with our son John and spent lots of time in our home eating, sleeping, and developing a long-term relationship with our family. Chet is now starting a new church plant in New England. Several times, we heard Chet tell us how much our home and family meant to him over those precious years.
On Saturday of this week we will attend another wedding with Kelsey and Nick in Maine. Kelsey too, has been connected to our family and ministry for many years. She was our first teacher in Rwanda at one of the schools with which we are associated through GBTF. She is one of the bravest students we have ever had the privilege of training.
As we have the honor this week of interacting with both these former students and their families, I am encouraged to remember a few things about investing in people's lives. Here is a short reminder list of what we have to do to make good people investments.
Investment requires personal sacrifice. We can't expect any investment to produce dividends if we don't give something up first. I do remember several times coming home after grocery day to find an empty refrigerator with several of our son John's friends happily standing in our kitchen!
Investment takes patience. You simply do not see the fruit of your work immediately! If you did, everybody would be in the people investment market. However, many times the investment seeds we plant in our children, our students, and others don't bear fruit for years.
Investment takes wisdom. You have to make choices and be somewhat selective in terms of where you are pouring out your investment reserves. There are good ones and there are better ones! It takes God's wisdom to know how best to invest and in whom to invest. Even Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 that he needed to invest in "faithful" men.
Investment produces rewards. When you make a sound investment, you can be reasonably assured that you are going to be rewarded in time. That is the great joy of it! If giving out of our time, talent, and treasure to others didn't provide the hope of an ultimate return, there would be much less, prehaps much smaller investments in people's futures.
John said that he had no greater joy (reward) than to know that his "children" (those in whom he had invested) "are walking in truth" (3 John 1:4). We are thrilled to see two young people, who are like children to us, marrying well and serving God and others. Any small part we may have had in these lives is worth every second invested!
On Saturday of this week we will attend another wedding with Kelsey and Nick in Maine. Kelsey too, has been connected to our family and ministry for many years. She was our first teacher in Rwanda at one of the schools with which we are associated through GBTF. She is one of the bravest students we have ever had the privilege of training.
As we have the honor this week of interacting with both these former students and their families, I am encouraged to remember a few things about investing in people's lives. Here is a short reminder list of what we have to do to make good people investments.
Investment requires personal sacrifice. We can't expect any investment to produce dividends if we don't give something up first. I do remember several times coming home after grocery day to find an empty refrigerator with several of our son John's friends happily standing in our kitchen!
Investment takes patience. You simply do not see the fruit of your work immediately! If you did, everybody would be in the people investment market. However, many times the investment seeds we plant in our children, our students, and others don't bear fruit for years.
Investment takes wisdom. You have to make choices and be somewhat selective in terms of where you are pouring out your investment reserves. There are good ones and there are better ones! It takes God's wisdom to know how best to invest and in whom to invest. Even Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 that he needed to invest in "faithful" men.
Investment produces rewards. When you make a sound investment, you can be reasonably assured that you are going to be rewarded in time. That is the great joy of it! If giving out of our time, talent, and treasure to others didn't provide the hope of an ultimate return, there would be much less, prehaps much smaller investments in people's futures.
John said that he had no greater joy (reward) than to know that his "children" (those in whom he had invested) "are walking in truth" (3 John 1:4). We are thrilled to see two young people, who are like children to us, marrying well and serving God and others. Any small part we may have had in these lives is worth every second invested!
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