R. O . I ......

Finance is not my forte , but sometimes figures just make sense ! I often remember the quote in that movie 'Mean Girls' - " because It's the same in every country" defending why one would even like maths. Personally I think there is a totally valid point in that - I mean no matter where you are, What your doing there has to be a beauty in the fact that in any equation or problem involving figures - there can only be one answer ! 1 + 1 will always give 2 - always ! No matter what continent your in, what language you speak or your background. It is just fact .. a simple fact , right? Well maybe at that level.

I know what your thinking huh I never really thought about that .... think of school - you were awarded some marks for showing working out and I guess in hindsight looking like you were going the right way, that you understand , perhaps even a glimpse of sympathy? .. but..realistically you still only scored full potential when you got that one right answer ... there is no either or .. There is not as much freedom with boundaries as those 'wordy' subjects..

Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6

I am drawn to the similarity of the one way beauty - the overwhelming Truth that to know God and have a personal relationship with Him - there is one answer , one way - Jesus.

At this point though I feel it so necessary to realise that what God did in sending His son to die for us will never make sense like a maths equation, there is no 'sum' that equates to the forgiveness and grace that has been bestowed upon us.. Just an undeniable , uncomprehending and unending amount of Love- its simply not tangible or deserved. Undeserved - Nothing we have done! The truth of the gospel that Jesus is the only one true way can certainly present itself in a nature as black and white as that 1+1. Yet I'm fully aware that so often as humans we fail to hold on to that truth, or we fail to really accept what that means for us or how easy it is for our eyes to slip off Him - thus the negotiation of black and white.
Accepting Christ as Your Saviour, handing your life to Him and asking for His forgiveness - non-negotiable. Believing that when we turn to Him we are washed clean by His blood, accepted and made new , through nothing of our own merit - non -negotiable. It's the journey that will test, try and at times torment us. The knowledge that although knowing Jesus to be the only answer, doesn't mean we simply fall into wow life is great -

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
Isaiah 43 : 2

It is not a case of 'if' or 'maybe' but 'When you pass through the waters,' however how amazing that in the same sentence we are reassured of our safety and security in Christ that when these times come we are not alone nor are we defeated

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46 : 1

Delving on to another provoking mathematical thought...

Return On Investment ( R.O.I.) - A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments...

To calculate ROI, the benefit (return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment; the result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.

It is advised that if a positive ROI is not possible or if there is an opportunity for a higher result an investment obviously should not be undertaken.


In thinking in terms of one's relationship with God, the return of investment seems to relate to - What we gain 'divided' by the cost .. Takes a minute to get my head around this - the number of times I have spent trying to re-work that in my mind. So what we gain from living a life invested in Christ in comparison to what the cost may be. There is such a vast amount of gain to living a life with Christ, way too many to note or fathom. The fact is no longer do we wear garments of slavery but rather clothes of adoption - we are filled with a hope and a future , assured of God's love and approval , that He will never leave nor forsake us , that all things work together for good when we walk with Him- We are given the gift of eternal life and promised
life and have it abundantly! With all that it contains ; freedom, joy, peace , security, safety....

I think of

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3 : 8


There is no doubt the amount of pain and suffering there is in the world, in our lives, the trials and hard times - moments were we simply do not know how we are going to continue however I am 100% sold in knowing that having a life invested in Christ will be more than worth it, more than 'beneficial' and it for sure, if mathematically possible , would produce a figure so positive it would rocket off the scale.. No other investment could ever come close !
The challenge I feel faced with, is how then am I living my life ? Am I truly maximising life to the fullest potential realising that I have the greatest 'return on investment' there could ever be.. Do I push boundaries, take risks, live with passion and compassion all for the Glory of My Saviour - surely the knowledge of such assurance and love would provoke us to always be striving for more of Him , attempting to give this all we have got- With Him we can't loose ! This is not a risky deal , Only when we truly realise that Jesus is the way , our way will we ever be able to really realise and tackle our full potential... A potential that He has given us and that we reach by His grace and mercy. We will never loose marks or points with God - nothing will keep us from His love. At times we do have to 'work things out' but all these stages remind us that we can do nothing without him, that our dependence should solely remain in Him.


Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

With God we cannot loose, we will always gain - everything will be worth it however little we see or understand this at times. What is it then that is holding us back ? What is filling up priority in our hearts, what are we placing importance in. I have been challenged by how there is a 'thin line between things for our living and to what you are living for'....

No matter how we view ourselves at times or what mistakes we make or how lost we feel - To God we are always worth the investment ! How mind blowing is that, that He considers us worth re-making. Despite all our efforts we will never match up nor are we ever required to - thank goodness God doesn't take into consideration what 'return' we give to Him...

'You are more than the sum of your past mistakes..'

And yea guess what.... its the same in every country !

What a privilege to be able to maximise our life investing in a relationship with Him but really how much greater it is that while we were still sinners He gave us the greatest gift of all - truly showing how much He thinks every one of us are worth investing in !

Go For It !

... Beautifully Blessed ...

Recently I have felt overwhelmed by an even greater realisation and understanding of how totally blessed I am , how much I have. I fall so short in my appreciation and gratitude- not that I am totally unaware or never acknowledge but that in spite of this I still have a great inability to grasp - totally human or what ?

My eyes are often drawn away from the things that truly matter , the things that last and for sure the things that I want to put my time in to.
I am lost at times in despair of my human nature, what about my Joy of COMPLETE freedom. I am lost in understanding why I do things that are not my heart, why I worry and panic about what is next, when I have been blessed beyond belief in safety and security in Christ. However do I truly realise and grasp how safe and secure I can feel in Him is this what I place my hope in and do I let it equip me and satisfy me? Do I truly take on what these things mean and not let them wash over me as often words do, how do I use this tangibly and daily?
I find myself overwhelmed of the blessing to simply be, to be 'a something.' I often think of the words expressed by Edward Hale an American Author:

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. "

At times I am often side tracked in my inabilities to be; to be someone who is driven to make a difference. I realise in my thinking how totally blessed I am; that everything that I have experienced in my life so far has shaped and moulded me into whatever or whoever I am now. That I am one, that I can do things - but the biggest realisation for me is the recognition of how this is all possible- that God has given me an unbelievable gift of Grace.