Living Monstrance

When I worked as an engineer, my company had things called “stock options”.  What are they?  They are shares of stock in the company that an employee has the free option of buying at a fixed price.  What good are they?  Well, if I have the option of buying shares from the company at 10 dollars each, and I could go and sell them in the stock market for 20 dollars each, I like that option very much and I can make a lot of money on it.

This happened to me while I was working at the company.  All of a sudden, the value of the company on the stock market went up really fast.  I had to learn about the stock market really fast.  Now, a lot of money was at stake.

I did well some times, I did badly at other times.  But the most important lesson I learned was this:

Do not invest on popular opinion.

Not long after the whole stock option event, I came across an investor who described something that matched my new learning.  It was called “contrarian investing.”  What is this?  It’s when you invest in the things that are not popular.  Why would you do that?  Well, because, according to this idea, the popular investors act on emotion.  When they act on emotion, they forget the fundamentals.  They miss the boat.

So, about 6 years ago, this contrarian investor was describing how stocks and bonds were going for much higher prices than they should, if you remember the fundamentals.  He made a good case for investing in gold.  It was going for $275 an once then, about the lowest it had been in years.  “Gold?”  I thought,  “That’s not even on the radar screen of any of the big investing professionals.”  But I had to admit, “He’s right.  That’s true.”  I invested.  It took a lot of patience, courage, and confidence in the truth.

Now, contrary to what all the experts were saying, he predicted gold would soon reach $1000 per once.  Lo and behold, last month gold did reach $1000 per once.  Gold is now big news in the investing world.  Too bad I had to sell it all last year, but only after making good money.  The reward was well worth it.

Jesus calls us to be contrarian investors in life.  He tells us that the popular way has forgotten the fundamentals of living.  “Enter in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in that way.”  (Mt 7:13)  He wants us to invest in the most solid investment, the investment that is nowhere on the radar screen of the experts: Himself.  “I counsel you to buy of me gold fire tried, that you may be made rich.” (Rev 3:18 )

If you listen to the Lord, it is hard not to admit, “He’s right.  That’s true.”  Investing in Him takes patience, courage, and confidence in Him. 

And the reward is well worth it.