Mountaintop Musings

Investing money for retirement is a good and noble goal. After all, who does not want to have a bit of a nest egg to retire on? Social security is ok; it will help you some. But it was not intended to be the main source of one’s retirement fund. For many of us living in rural Montana, there is not the “old-school” safe and secure retirement program that people who worked in industrial areas have often had. Of course even the pension funds that were thought to be secure and safe often turned out to be another bait and switch program that left retirees high and dry. My Mom and many of her generation found that our when the steel mills, and ancillary industries to the automotive world went either overseas or bankrupt in the 1990s. But that does not mean one should not take the personal initiative to save money for the future. If you invest just a little now on a regular basis in a growth mutual fund you will have something in 30 or 40years. The term is “dollar-cost averaging investment” I believe.

That principle applies to many areas of life. Just think of those who made an impact in your life as a child and on through your early adult years. The sense of love, security and affirmation that maybe your parents, grandparents, or close relatives helped foster in your life did not happen at once. Or maybe it was a teacher, or neighbor or the one who became your spouse. The point is, someone has invested in to the bank account of life that your draw on every day. And you have done the same to others.

Many people have had hope, encouragement, love, trust and security deposited in their life. They look forward to the days and years with a sense of anticipation and hope. Others reading this have not been as fortunate. Their life has been the receptacle of mental, physical and spiritual anguish. They have not known genuine love, security or hope. They have lived with the fear and anxiousness that comes from having those that should have loved and protected them turn against them and use them in ways that are not fit for this column. I must say I am not a psychologist, but I am a person who has had life experiences that cover all aspects of hope and fear, uncertainty and security, love and war. Like you I might be able to say I am a survivor.

But then all of mankind fits this description. We survive the good and bad days, seasons and moment of life. No one is immune to the betrayal of a friend, loss of a marriage, death of a loved one, or uncertainty of the future. The question that we each must ask is, “What rock solid truth and foundation will I cling to when the strain of things gets too much?” You might turn to a nice muscle car or vintage motorcycle? Maybe it is a new boat or snowmobile. Well the engine may decide to throw a bearing, a deer may run in to your path, the boat hull may crack, or the snowmobile may sit due to lack of snow or a busted track. Then what, despair and anger and frustration sounds about right?

Turning to alcohol, meth, heroin, marijuana, sex, compulsive spending or ice cream may seem to offer some help and comfort but I think we all know those things are not much help when the foreclosure notice, divorce papers, IRS, child protective services or law enforcement shows up to help remind us that it truly matters how one invests the life capital they are allocated. If you find life to be somewhat unsettled right now, or things are just not where you thought they would be there is a life manual that has some time tested answers. There is a Master Teacher who can help you get back on track so you can graduate successfully from this life in to the next. Yes the manual I would suggest you read is the Holy Bible and the Teacher is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have tried the other programs and solutions the world has and are not satisfied, what do you have to lose? You really have everything to gain; unconditional love, freedom form sin, a church family that keeps growing. Until next time, thanks for reading this column, and God Bless You and your family.

(Dave & Lisa Carroll are area missionaries with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency. Dave is also Pastor of Community Bible Church in Lincoln. You can contact Dave at 406.459.8935 or [email protected].)