I have a theory about relationships that I am working on and thought I'd share the rudimentary beginnings with you all. It involved the comparison of relationships with financial investments. Granted, this sounds somewhat cold and uninteresting. However, there are some useful and insightful parallels that make sense to look at, I believe.
I would like to look at 4 FACTORS that influence or determine the ROI, otherwise known as the Return on Investment. Later on, or in another post, we'll look at the big picture and the spiritual implications of each factor.
Factor #1 - TERM
The first factor that we must consider in determining our return/harvest/payoff/reaping is the TERM of the investment, i.e. how long we choose to invest in it. We are all aware of the impact of long-lasting relationships over shorter ones, and the payoff from sticking it out with a person through thick and thin, easy and hard, good and bad. Memories are created, bonds grow stronger (pun intended), roots penetrate deeper into each soul involved. If I choose to give up on an investment entirely and stop sowing into it, my return is obviously sacrificed. Long term investments are known to be the safest, surest, and most productive types.
Factor #2 - PERCENTAGE
This factor represents the amount of our resources dedicated to the investment, as a percentage of the total available. In relationship, we are investing a certain percentage/portion/part/fraction of our very self and our life. There are rules that we should follow in determining how much of ourselves to invest in a given relationship. For instance, our relationship with God is automatically to be the largest investment of time and energy. Our relationship with our spouse should be invested in moreso that into other relationships such as friends, children, or co-workers.
Factor #3 - RISK
As with any investment, the amount of risk we take is directly proportional to the potential payoff. In other words, the more we open ourselves up to take a loss, the more we are also open to be greatly blessed with reward. It is difficult for many people to accept the vulnerability required to create the give and take/sow and reap dynamic that most of us desire. We want the great payoff, the major ROI, but often do not want to take the necessary relational risk to acheive it.
Factor # 4 - Much Is Beyond our Control
When discussing financial planning and ROI and risky vs. conservative investing, we must consider that many of the factors influencing the harvest are beyond our control. This is like a as a farmer's return on his crop that is largely affected by weather (uncontrollable), bugs (largely uncontrollable), seed quality (largely uncontrollable), and market price (uncontrollable). In relational investment, the free will of the other individual, circumstance beyond our control, temptation of either party, patience of either part, and so on - are all beyond our control. The most we can do is to be wise with our sowing, but the reaping is never guaranteed.
