Some sacrifices are made today that won’t pay off until some time in the future, while at other times we get an immediate return on our investment today. And we need both these short-term and long-term investments throughout our life and relationships.
For instance, pursuing advanced degrees, professional credentials, and additional training are all great ways to invest in our professional development. But we still have to eat today while we’re pursuing a better tomorrow.
Certainly, it’s good to plan for retirement (or that season of life in which we’re no longer charging the battlefields in the same way anymore). And we can miss opportunities to bless the next generation when we don’t plan accordingly. But there’s still much life to be lived today more than simply planning for retirement.
Likewise, as much as we might want to invest in our kids’ futures or special times with our wife, we can’t neglect our daily interactions with each other while we wait for this future.
Time and again we need both the vision of long-term planning without neglecting the short-term needs of today.
We stay stuck in the rat race of today without making wise investments for a better tomorrow. Being able to step back, cast a vision, and plan for our future is simply part of being a good steward with what God has entrusted to us.
But we might not make it to this future if we spend all our time planning that we don’t take care of the immediate needs of today.
In the end, diversify your portfolio. Make the needed sacrifices for your long-term investments. But don’t forget to invest in the immediate needs of your life and relationships today as well. These short-term investments are still needed to reach your vision for the future.
Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash
