The Opportunity Cost

In everything we do, there is what is known as an opportunity cost.  Doing one thing means not doing another.  Spending or investing money in one thing means not spending or investing money in another.  Even doing nothing can have it's consequences (See the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30)  This week, I am going to break this blog into two categories, the spiritual and the financial.  Each will explore opportunity costs in these two different aspects and hopefully challenge you in each.

The Spiritual Cost- Think back on the people that have invested in you.  Individuals along the way have invested their time into you and that investment has brought you to where you are today.  When I think back on my life, I am brought to my childhood friend, Jeremi, that invited me to church with the promise that there would be pretty girls attending.  I think of the youth pastor, Greg, that invested months of time in me and would eventually lead me to the most life transformational  experience in my life, choosing to be a Christ follower.  I think about my parents who paid for the education of a christian college that led me down a path that I never imagined prior to Jeremi's initial invitation.  All along the way, people invested in me in small or large amounts and that investment has shaped who I am in small and large ways.  As I look at what I invest myself in, each minute has the potential to be a wise investment or a lost opportunity.  If I stay quiet when I someone hurting or headed down a bad path, it could mean destruction in their life.  If I choose to simply say "You should come to church with me, there are pretty girls there", it may be a small investment that yields eternal dividends.

The Financial Cost- Similar to the spiritual aspect, there is a tangible opportunity cost with everything that you do with your financial resources.  Do you tend to spend everything you get?  Do you invest, or save?  Most of us tend to spend more easily than we save.  This can cost you an opportunity later.  That daily lunch out can mean not being able to help pay for you children's college education or wedding.  Your car payment may mean not retiring at age 65, or at all.  How you choose to allocate resources also has eternal consequences.  Perhaps your spending has hindered your ability to sponsor a child that will hear about Jesus and be given an education, or even adopt a child that is lost in our foster care system. How you invest the money God has entrusted to you has real and lasting consequences.

It's time to weigh the opportunity cost.  What are you investing in?  Will it make a difference a year, a month, or even a day from now?  Are you missing out on some eternal opportunities?