Wednesday, July 27, 2011

A Heart-Healthy Life

By Allen White

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

Over the years, I’ve challenged people to check their priorities by examining their calendar and their checkbook. Of course, nobody writes checks anymore, so I guess check your online banking. For most of us, the greatest portion of our time is devoted to work and sleep. The greatest part of our money goes to the government. I wouldn’t say that those are necessarily our priorities – more like obligations.

But, what do we do with those slim margins of time to ourselves and discretionary income. If you’re thinking, “Ya right,” then what would you do if you had the time or the money? What if you could really live your life?

If we put our hope in the markets, our hope will vacillate up and down like a roller coaster. The market drops, and our hearts sink. While there are certainly wise investment strategies, something as fickle as the stock market certainly doesn’t deserve our hearts.

Some of us know what our hearts are drawn toward. When we match our gifts and our strengths to the needs of this world, we find a satisfying intersection to rest our hearts. But, sometimes we don’t know until we actually try.

Our hearts will follow our treasure. Several years ago, I actually had a shot at an IPO. It was a tech fund. I didn’t have a ton of money to invest in it, but I invested what I had. I watched that stock every day. It gained 60 percent overnight. Woohoo! I hadn’t set a goal. I just let it ride.

Overtime, the fund lost the gain. And, then it started to lose the principle. I hadn’t set a lower limit either, so I just watch it sink hoping that it would head the other direction pretty soon. It didn’t.

My son needed a big boy bed. I cashed in the stock, bought the bed, and took a nice tax write off. Today, I don’t care about that stock. I don’t watch it. I don’t really remember its name. It no longer has my attention or even a little piece of my heart.

What have you set your heart on? What makes you jump out of bed in the morning? If you don’t know, then it’s time to find out. Try something new. Find someone to invest in. Get involved in the community or with students. What needs concern you? Find a ministry or an agency that addresses that need and see how you can help.

It’s time to get your treasure in the game. Your heart will thank you.

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