Investing

January 23, 2017

WHAT AM I INVESTING IN?

I woke up this morning with the word invest on my mind. Last night I fell asleep on the couch after I watched an episode of a TV show I had recorded. I thought I'd just fall asleep for a little, but ended up spending the night because it was unusually comfortable. It has been years since I slept on the couch. 

How have I invested regarding my stuff? Lots of money and lots of time. How am I investing in my stuff now? Lots and lots of time and money as I'm taking off work. How can I invest different based upon God's principle of sowing and reaping and doing it His way? 

Yesterday I gathered some stuff and filled up half my front room, asked a friend who owns an exclusive second hand, collectible store in town to come and see if she wanted to buy anything. I had envisioned her buying $100 worth or double that. We had tea and a visit, which was nice, but left after spending $2. I was deflated. I had such high hopes of return on my investment. Now what? I give it away. I can still feel that urge to hold onto some stuff in hopes of selling and making a little, but is it worth it?

What if I do what I believe the Lord is telling me to do and trust in Him to provide for my need instead of trying to sell my stuff to make some money? Yes, I need money, more than what I make, but is what I've been doing making a difference and adding to my life or creating a burden? What if I repent for wasting my time and money and give it to the Lord. I'll ask the Lord what to do with my stuff and do it. if I change how I am investing and give to others, I will reap a harvest. What harvest do I want? I want to be productive, I want to be generous, and I want to sow God's way.

With investing on my mind, I woke up refreshed and ready to box this stuff up and give it away.

So I looked up invest in the 1828 dictionary and was surprised by the definition.

INVEST', v.t. [L. investio; in and vestio, to clothe. See Vest.] 1. To clothe; to dress; to put garments on; to array; usually and most correctly followed by with, before the thing put on; as, to invest one with a mantle or robe. In this sense, it is used chiefly in poetry and elevated prose, not in colloquial discourse. 2. To clothe with office or authority; to place in possession of an office, rank or dignity; as, to invest a person with a civil office, or with an ecclesiastical dignity. 3. To adorn; to grace; as, to invest with honor. 4. To clothe; to surround; as, to be invested with light, splendor or glory. 5. To confer; to give. [Little used.] 6. To inclose; to surround; to block up, so as to intercept succors of men and provisions and prevent escape; to lay siege to; as, to invest a town. 7. To clothe money in something permanent or less fleeting; as, to invest money in funded or bank stock; to invest it in lands or goods. In this application, it is always followed by in.

It's interesting that originally the word was mainly used in reference to cloth oneself or surround. But defining invest as to clothe money in something permanent or less fleeting caused much thought. This creates an interesting mental picture: to clothe money in something permanent or less fleeting.

I don't have anymore thoughts on this right now, it's just interesting.

So off to exercise then happily box and box and box so I can give and give and give. In the future, with God's help, I will never get into this spot again. Decluttering 40 years of accumulated stuff and being unorganized has been such a burden. Lost opportunities, forgotten ideas, wrong priorities, inordinate or misplaced values, wasteful expenditures, self-centered focus and actions...all I give to the Lord and I am forgiven. I know that as I obey now and work in cooperation with Him to move out the excess and unneeded stuff, I will be changed and be able to focus on what is of real value and reset my priorities. First in all I do is to love and get to know the Lord. To trust and lean on Him to provide for my every need. To receive His thoughts as my own and believe on Him for He is God and I am not. That is what I want to invest in, to be clothed in and surrounded in. And I want to invest in what I need to be doing to further my education to be able to provide for myself and have much to give. At the same time believing in God to give me seed so I can sow.