Living on a Cliff
Young adults are getting used to living on a financial cliff. As of February 2024, NBC News reports:
The net worth of Americans ages 18-39 surged by 80% from the start of 2019 to the third quarter of last year, Federal Reserve Bank of New York research shows, blowing past the rates for older generations.
But much of the gains are from investments that climbed alongside stock markets and largely don’t translate into disposable income. And while many millennials (ages 28-43, according to Pew Research) — and plenty of their Gen Z near-peers (12-27) — are pulling in bigger paychecks, they’re still pumping that cash into pricier everyday expenses, from essentials like rent to luxuries like leisure travel. …
That mentality isn’t exclusive to young people. A “revenge spending” bonanza driven by FOMO, stimulus checks and built-up savings helped power the post-pandemic recovery, and consumer spending has kept chugging above expectations despite higher prices.
The financial peril this FOMO ("fear of missing out) mentality is akin to building your house on the edge of a cliff. It might have be a beautiful view of the ocean, but, in time, wind, rain, and erosion will see that big, beautiful home sliding down into the crashing waves below.
Life on the edge — each day full of dazzling views, deeply inspiring, exciting, without regard for the potential failure. Each day, the cliff's edge creeps ever closer, until your house — your life — lays a pile of rubble on the ocean floor.
They had their "best life" for a moment, but the edge’s nearness drew upon them faster than they ever expected.
We are not to use this life to craft and spend our time, money and resources on earthly experiences that bring joy and pleasure in the here and now — big houses, trendy travel, lavish lifestyles. We don’t have to live our best life now. We have eternity!
Let's not invest in and spend on the things that will all too soon drop off the edge of a cliff. Our calling is to invest in the kingdom to come!
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33, NIV).
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17, NIV).
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock" (Matthew 17:24-25, NIV).
Where Your Treasure Is
On a hot, July summer day in 2021, a man discovered some 158 bowling balls in his backyard during an outdoor renovation. It was during the demolition, around the back steps of his house, that Olson discovered a black sphere buried in the sand behind some cinder blocks.
"That was one of the bowling balls," he said. "I didn't think a whole lot of it. I was kind of assuming maybe there were just a couple in there just to fill in. The deeper I got into it, the more I realized it was just basically an entire gridwork of them making up the weight in there."
As Olson continued digging, he uncovered ball after ball. It finally clicked how this treasure of rusted, cracked, dirty balls got there. There used to be a bowling ball manufacturing plant nearby in Muskegon, Michigan.
The balls were from the 1950s, which meant they were 80 years old. Although useless as bowling balls, they still had value to some. Olson plans to use the balls as edging for his landscaping or to make sculptures. He has also donated eight balls for use by a church in a bowling ball cannon at a pig roast. His stepfather also plans to use them as custom furniture legs.
In this story, it was the heart of the recipient that determined the value of the treasure. One saw edging for their landscaping, another a bowling ball cannon, and yet another, legs for their furniture. The point is the real value isn't in the treasure we unearth but in how we use it.
Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
Make Your Meter Run Backwards
Have you ever thought about putting solar panels on your home? Did you know that if you do, you can actually make your meter run backward? On a bright sunny day, as the sun beats down on the panels and they produce more energy than you can use, the surplus causes the bi-directional meter to run backward.
Instead of paying for electricity, the electric company credits you for the extra.
Each of us is given a stewardship of grace. Those who are faithful stewards will produce more light than those who are poor stewards, both now and in eternity.
Daniel wrote, "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever" (Daniel 12:3).
The greater glory with which the faithful will shine in their resurrected state is God's way of crediting it back to them.