This weekend I thought a lot about return on investment because of two specific items: shoes and a patio.?
The Shoes
I have this pair of shoes that I really like. They didn?t come cheap, but they were worth it. Until, that is, the insole started to pull apart. Suddenly, this pair of shoes went from feeling super-comfortable to feeling like a punishment. At first I was tempted to throw them away, but because they were a birthday gift I couldn?t do that. Then, I thought about just throwing them in the back of the closet and never wearing them again.?
I was about ready to pull the trigger on that when someone made a ridiculously simple suggestion: buy new cushioned insoles. I would?ve felt like an idiot if I hadn?t been so overjoyed by the fact that $8 saved a pair of shoes that had become unwearable.?
The Patio
My wife had a great idea for turning a certain spot in our backyard into an outdoor seating area. The catch, of course, is that an outdoor seating area like that requires some sweat equity. It was a warm Saturday in Dallas and concrete pavers are heavy, so I thought maybe we should put it off until next year or maybe the year after that.?
Fortunately, I married a woman who?s a go-getter, so we went ahead and knocked it out. After a couple of hours we had a great place to and enjoy that evening?s breeze.?
The Moment
In the moment, I thought my shoes were done. In the moment, I would?ve preferred to relax on a Saturday afternoon rather than work in the yard. But here?s the thing ??for all we talk about being ?in the moment,? the moment can be deceptive. Being in the moment isn?t always enough. These two things I did ??fixing my shoes and working in the yard ??weren?t about moments, they were about years. For investments of eight bucks (the shoes) and three hours (the patio), I imagine I?ll see returns for at least a year.?
So, that?s the idea. And the truth is I?m fighting tooth and nail to get it to sink in. My department, and really our church community at a whole, is at a point where we need to make some important creative investments. As we do, we?ll have to remember that the right thing might not feel like the right thing in the moment. But if we?ll invest a little bit, there are returns to be had for years and years.?
