In What Do I Invest

It seems I cannot escape the daily dose of news about the impact of the sub-prime mortgage credit crisis and its effect on the world's financial markets. All of this talk has gotten me to reflect on the question, "In what do I invest?" As I have done so, my musings have not been focused on the financial side of investments; instead they have swayed me to think about how I invest my time and talents.

In asking the question in this way, I have been considering the related issue of stewardship. How have I been using that which has been lent me and toward what ends and impact?

Over my lifetime, I have been drawn by the themes of faith, hope, and community. For as long as I can remember, I have been a person who felt called by my faith to try and make a difference in my corner of existence. I have always wanted to reach out and try to improve the organizations with which I worked, the people who were part of them, and the impact they had in their community. When doing so, it seemed that when we focused on the goodness in the organization and its people, building on their assets and honoring their contribution, we were at our best. Oh, to be sure, we paid attention to the things we most needed to correct, tried to be faithful to the vision and values we espoused, wanted to "walk the talk," but we didn't improve by addressing these things-we improved when we raised the organization and its people up, honored both, and told the stories of success.

Being in, living in, and contributing to community has been an important theme for me. I feel that I can do more, and be more, when I am a part of a community of people who share a common vision and values. The community gives me strength, encouragement, hope, and inspiration. Some of my best thoughts have come in dialogue with others.

So now I find myself at Avila University. I was drawn here by its people, their competence, compassion, and commitment. I was drawn here by its mission and the way that mission is being lived out daily. I was drawn here by the deep sense of great possibility, the untapped potential, and the feeling that we are on the cusp of greatness if only we have the courage to invest our hearts and souls in its achievement. And most certainly, I was drawn here by the sense of community that exists on campus and the way we build relationships that work toward greater ends, where I am lifted, where the students and faculty/staff are lifted, and where the broader community of which we are a part is lifted, too. I find myself at a place where great things are happening and even greater things are possible.

So in what do I invest? I invest in a place like Avila University where simple investments of time and talent reap great rewards, where the outcomes in terms of our students is great, and where the return on investment yields priceless results.

How about you? In what do you invest?