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R.O.I.
by Stan Slade
We all calculate it, and pretty continuously... though usually not with much exactness, nor even explicitly.
But from the time we are very little, we start making judgments about whether something is "worth it." And those judgments reflect some kind of calculation of the "return on investment" we are getting, whether we are investing time, energy, money or... whatever.
As creatures, we have limited amounts of everything (everything, that is, except the unlimited future of blessing that God gives us through Jesus Christ!). So, learning to make return-on-investment decisions is an important life skill for all of us.
The problem is that, as limited creatures, we often cannot know enough to get the calculation right. Frequently, our time horizon is too short. We base our calculation of R.O.I. (or "results," or "impact," or "outcomes") on what happens pretty quickly after we make our investment. In the case of a meal, a movie or anything else we consume rapidly, short timeline evaluation usually works well. But even at this level we can get it wrong: just last week I had a meal that tasted great going down, but produced very unwelcome "returns" after a few more hours had passed! And, especially on the more important elements of life, we rarely take a long enough view.
I was reminded of how slippery it is to talk about impact and outcomes during last week's Bible study with Karen Baptist pastors and church leaders. We had a truly wonderful time together. One of the most enthusiastic participants was also one of the oldest. Saw Baw has been pastoring a fellowship in Yangon since retiring from the labs at the Rangoon Institute of Technology in 1999. He committed his life to Jesus as he faced a family crisis on the morning of May 25, 1981, at the age of 40.
That was when the Bible verses he had learned as a small child in the mission school suddenly came to life for him. He had never been disrespectful at the mission school, but had never responded to the gospel message, either. Instead, he had continued to practice Karen traditional spirituality. Then, after more than 30 years of dormancy, the gospel seed sown in Saw Baw suddenly germinated and sprouted to life.
As his firstborn son lay dying of leukemia, Baw was startled to hear himself repeating the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:28, and felt the call to give himself unreservedly to the Lord of life. His mind bounced to Joshua's challenge to the Israelites, as they tried to combine faithfulness to Yahweh with all manner of other sources of spiritual power, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Baw's son died that day, but Baw's life--and that of the rest of his family--was radically transformed.
I have no idea what Baw's missionary teachers thought of him as they patiently taught a little boy who seemed indifferent to the spiritual message they most wanted him to receive. But today Baw sees himself as a living embodiment of Proverbs 22:6: the investment those teachers made in him as a child was not wasted, but has provided the fundamental direction for his adult life.
I thank the Lord for the patient work of the Holy Spirit in Baw's life--and in my own. I am grateful for the reminder not to judge too quickly what our efforts are producing. I both pray and try to exercise wisdom about what I do (and how I do it). But at the same time, Baw's story reminds me that all of our efforts take place in a drama that is far too big, far too complex and far too long for us to get a clear and accurate view of all that God is doing in and through us.
So, I strive for excellence and effectiveness. But, more than anything, I ask the Lord to enable me to be faithful and to trust that God's Spirit is at work producing results, even if I cannot see them. As we talk about his life, Baw smiles, leans toward me and reminds me to wait upon the Lord with patience. Thank you, Lord!
May your service in the Lord also be effective... but, above all, faithful!
Blessings,
Stan
p.s. My faithful MPT members and I continue to pray that God will lead us to a core group of supporters who will trust God with us for results, while making regular financial investments in this ministry. If you are part of God's answer to that prayer, please get in touch with me at stanslade@... or Lisa at Lisa.Rothenberger@.... Thanks!!
But from the time we are very little, we start making judgments about whether something is "worth it." And those judgments reflect some kind of calculation of the "return on investment" we are getting, whether we are investing time, energy, money or... whatever.
As creatures, we have limited amounts of everything (everything, that is, except the unlimited future of blessing that God gives us through Jesus Christ!). So, learning to make return-on-investment decisions is an important life skill for all of us.
The problem is that, as limited creatures, we often cannot know enough to get the calculation right. Frequently, our time horizon is too short. We base our calculation of R.O.I. (or "results," or "impact," or "outcomes") on what happens pretty quickly after we make our investment. In the case of a meal, a movie or anything else we consume rapidly, short timeline evaluation usually works well. But even at this level we can get it wrong: just last week I had a meal that tasted great going down, but produced very unwelcome "returns" after a few more hours had passed! And, especially on the more important elements of life, we rarely take a long enough view.
I was reminded of how slippery it is to talk about impact and outcomes during last week's Bible study with Karen Baptist pastors and church leaders. We had a truly wonderful time together. One of the most enthusiastic participants was also one of the oldest. Saw Baw has been pastoring a fellowship in Yangon since retiring from the labs at the Rangoon Institute of Technology in 1999. He committed his life to Jesus as he faced a family crisis on the morning of May 25, 1981, at the age of 40.
That was when the Bible verses he had learned as a small child in the mission school suddenly came to life for him. He had never been disrespectful at the mission school, but had never responded to the gospel message, either. Instead, he had continued to practice Karen traditional spirituality. Then, after more than 30 years of dormancy, the gospel seed sown in Saw Baw suddenly germinated and sprouted to life.
As his firstborn son lay dying of leukemia, Baw was startled to hear himself repeating the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:28, and felt the call to give himself unreservedly to the Lord of life. His mind bounced to Joshua's challenge to the Israelites, as they tried to combine faithfulness to Yahweh with all manner of other sources of spiritual power, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Baw's son died that day, but Baw's life--and that of the rest of his family--was radically transformed.
I have no idea what Baw's missionary teachers thought of him as they patiently taught a little boy who seemed indifferent to the spiritual message they most wanted him to receive. But today Baw sees himself as a living embodiment of Proverbs 22:6: the investment those teachers made in him as a child was not wasted, but has provided the fundamental direction for his adult life.
I thank the Lord for the patient work of the Holy Spirit in Baw's life--and in my own. I am grateful for the reminder not to judge too quickly what our efforts are producing. I both pray and try to exercise wisdom about what I do (and how I do it). But at the same time, Baw's story reminds me that all of our efforts take place in a drama that is far too big, far too complex and far too long for us to get a clear and accurate view of all that God is doing in and through us.
So, I strive for excellence and effectiveness. But, more than anything, I ask the Lord to enable me to be faithful and to trust that God's Spirit is at work producing results, even if I cannot see them. As we talk about his life, Baw smiles, leans toward me and reminds me to wait upon the Lord with patience. Thank you, Lord!
May your service in the Lord also be effective... but, above all, faithful!
Blessings,
Stan
p.s. My faithful MPT members and I continue to pray that God will lead us to a core group of supporters who will trust God with us for results, while making regular financial investments in this ministry. If you are part of God's answer to that prayer, please get in touch with me at stanslade@... or Lisa at Lisa.Rothenberger@.... Thanks!!
