A few days ago, I was working through university applications. Basically, you input your personal information, academic background, schools of choice, and supporting documents into the form. At the end, you get a summary of your application and fee.
When I saw the fee, my heart skipped a beat. I’m not telling you what it was, but it was a LOT. I hadn’t even finished adding in all my university choices, and I was pretty sure that when I was done, I would be able to buy two car batteries with the application fee. As I sat in front the of the laptop stewing about how university is a scam, the thought “it’s not a cost, it’s an investment” came to mind.
That really changed my perspective on those applications. An investment will produce some kind of return or profit in the future, while a cost/expense will not. I suppose that while university applications and courses are expensive, they will produce a good return on investment in terms of knowledge and career opportunities. Hopefully.
I think the “it’s not a cost, it’s an investment” mentality can be applied to our lives as well. As we head into this month’s fast, it’s really easy to think, “Oh, I’m giving up ____ and it’s awful.”
Yes, fasting is not usually pleasant, but if we think of fasting as investing into our relationship with God instead of just giving up what we enjoy, it will help center us on why we do what we do. The point of fasting is not to torture us, but to help us grow closer to God and hear Him better. If giving up food or social media for a month will help us get closer to God, it’s a worthwhile investment to me.