Invest (verb): to commit money in order to earn a financial return.
I have encouraged husbands and wives to invest in each other. I have instructed people to invest in knowing God. What could be nobler than the investment of relationship with others and relationship with God? I am rethinking that advice because I have seen the results of investment thinking.
By very definition, when I invest in something or someone, I expect a return on investment (ROI). Overlaying relationships with investment language betrays our core beliefs. I give to get. And I’m not stupid enough to give out no interest loans. I assume I will get back more than I give and the greater the ROI, the more motivated I am to invest.
As long as I love someone with an eye to getting something, my love is not about them. It’s about me. This is not what God has called me to. He has called me to give without expectation, to love without reward. Let’s stop ROI loving, because if I am unwilling to love without a promised return, I am unwilling to love.
