A good friend told me, invest in something that appreciates in value in years to come. Gadgets are good, but they depreciate really fast. He advices, "Invest in things like watches and jewelry, they increase in value over time."
In our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life, what are the things that increase in value over time? Here are some that I can think of:
a. Relationships (emotional investment). We have to put our time in relationships. This we often take for granted. During the ins and outs of the day, we schedule our work at every hour. We also have to schedule our relationships. Over time, relationships will help us to be strong. A simple hi through a personal message online will go a long way. A 2-hour visit to relatives over the weekend will keep the ties closer. A regular date time with your loved one will help build trust and nurture love through the years.
b. Reading time (intellectual investment). Having time to read makes us sharp and attuned to ourselves, the world, and to the Lord specially when reading Scripture. Just like muscles need to be flexed so it will gain strength, so does our minds. Reading will help push our mental strength to its limit and breakthrough to a new level of thinking. Over time, we would have gained a good stock of knowledge that will be helpful in all fields of our lives.
c. Regular prayer and Sacraments (spiritual investment). We have to strengthen the spirit through time spent in prayers and receiving of graces through the Sacraments. If we do not invest our time in prayer, our life will become meaningless and our emotional, intellectual, physical, and even financial lives will be highly affected. For our spirit and body are one. We are Spirited Bodies and Embodied Spirits (Theology of the Body, JPII). To neglect the spirit, we will be like "walking dead." A life spent in prayer and meditation will bring us to our core, and often we are reminded of the right path to take. This leads us to better decision making. Over time, we gain depth in insight and the grace of peace in the Lord.
Let us then be wise investors. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Mt. 25:29). The Lord has given us our friends and family, His wisdom through the Bible and other books about life, His gift of prayer. Let us use these gifts, invest in them and present them to the Lord having twice as much as it was given us.
In our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life, what are the things that increase in value over time? Here are some that I can think of:
a. Relationships (emotional investment). We have to put our time in relationships. This we often take for granted. During the ins and outs of the day, we schedule our work at every hour. We also have to schedule our relationships. Over time, relationships will help us to be strong. A simple hi through a personal message online will go a long way. A 2-hour visit to relatives over the weekend will keep the ties closer. A regular date time with your loved one will help build trust and nurture love through the years.
b. Reading time (intellectual investment). Having time to read makes us sharp and attuned to ourselves, the world, and to the Lord specially when reading Scripture. Just like muscles need to be flexed so it will gain strength, so does our minds. Reading will help push our mental strength to its limit and breakthrough to a new level of thinking. Over time, we would have gained a good stock of knowledge that will be helpful in all fields of our lives.
c. Regular prayer and Sacraments (spiritual investment). We have to strengthen the spirit through time spent in prayers and receiving of graces through the Sacraments. If we do not invest our time in prayer, our life will become meaningless and our emotional, intellectual, physical, and even financial lives will be highly affected. For our spirit and body are one. We are Spirited Bodies and Embodied Spirits (Theology of the Body, JPII). To neglect the spirit, we will be like "walking dead." A life spent in prayer and meditation will bring us to our core, and often we are reminded of the right path to take. This leads us to better decision making. Over time, we gain depth in insight and the grace of peace in the Lord.
Let us then be wise investors. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Mt. 25:29). The Lord has given us our friends and family, His wisdom through the Bible and other books about life, His gift of prayer. Let us use these gifts, invest in them and present them to the Lord having twice as much as it was given us.
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