Client's Corner

Every month or so I get an email from my financial adviser.  I look forward to reading his emails because he'll forward an article and write some of his own thoughts on the market and investment strategies.  I like reading them because they keep me grounded.  When the market was in free fall a few years ago the articles came more frequently and they always contained data that showed what happened to people who jumped ship and to those that stayed the course in investing.  It's not like I have a ton of money in the market, but I enjoyed, and still enjoy, those articles because they remind me that I am a lifetime investor.  The articles showed the folly of trying to time the market and get in and get out at the right time.  I also enjoy talking to Ryan and going over our retirement plan every so often because it assures me that Tracy and I are taking the right steps now to ensure we can live comfortably in retirement.  We won't be on a private island somewhere, or traveling to exotic locations all the time, but we should be able to keep a roof over our head and some food in the cupboards.  It's good to be reminded once in awhile amongst all the doom and gloom that there is a rhyme and reason to all this and the future is something to look forward to and not dread.
As I was contemplating the last article Ryan sent I thought this would be good advice for life too.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the immediate goings on of the present that we forget the lessons of the past and the promises of God for the future.  Sometimes the rat race keeps us form seeing the forest because of all of the trees.  Wait, did I just mix a metaphor there?  Anyway, my point is we need to be reminded sometimes that there is a bigger picture.  God is in control, and even though life may seem like an out of control freight train sometimes we can be assured that God will never abandon us or forsake us.  We may certainly question sometimes what the world God's plan may be, but we should never doubt the fact that God is walking with us on our journey no matter how bad the present may be.
A good way to be grounded is to read some articles that God has given to us.  And by articles I mean the Bible.  Reading the Bible connects us to what God has done in the past for God's people, and also connects us to what God is doing for us in the present and will do for us in the future.  No matter how many times you've read the Bible something new will stick out, a new message can be taken from it's passages, and God can speak to you again.  Not only does reading the Bible remind us of God's actions and faithfulness in the past, it also gives us a concrete way to connect to God's plan for our lives going forward.  I challenge you to read your Bible for 30 days straight.  If you can commit to 30 days, for 15 minutes a day, I promise you that you will feel connected to God in a whole new way.  Let the Spirit work in your life.  The path may not be easy, but I promise the reminder and belief that no matter the trouble that God is with you will help ease the  burden.  Take the challenge and see if God's investment strategies for the future can give you a guide.