“If you aren’t thinking about owning a stock for ten years, don’t even think about owning it for ten minutes.” – Warren Buffett

As twenty-somethings and beyond, most of us are aware of and even participate in investing. As a way to prepare for retirement or provide the beginnings or continuation of generational wealth within our families, investing is an option available to change the trajectory of our financial lives. Though the ins and outs of investing can sometimes be challenging to grasp or even pursue, the overall goal is simple: put your resources into something of value and reap the benefits of that investment at a later stage of maturity and/or increase. As many of us know, unfortunately, investing never really seems that easy or promising in practice. From stock market crashes to systematic hurdles that make investing, of any kind, difficult for many, we are not unfamiliar with the risks and potentially damaging losses we may encounter in the world of investing. With such uncertainty, it’s not surprising that people often abandon ship at the mere threat of failure. Knowing this, I was pleasantly surprised to find a quote by Warren Buffett that encouraged the opposite.

According to Buffett, one of the world’s most highly regarded billionaires, long term investing, even with the possibility of slower growth and/or seasons of volatility, is the true key to success. Those whom are patient and hold steady to their investments tend to fare better overtime than those who are actively buying and selling shares to minimize loss or maximize profits¹. In fact, though research shows that stock values fluctuate in value year to year, the average stock market return (increase) for ten years is 9.2%². For those interested in investing, does this full picture perspective help ease concerns regarding seasons of stagnancy and loss? Does this help you to buy and hold, even in potentially tumultuous times? If so, you’re in good company.

“‘Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4:10-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God calling Moses to lead His children out of Egypt reminds me, powerfully, of Buffett’s quote. Moses, the man who parted the Red Sea and led the Israelites out of Egypt by the power of God (Exodus 14), was also the man who couldn’t see pass his faults and fears. Moses, the one who brought down the Ten Commandments and shined so brightly with God’s glory that he had to wear a veil when around the Israelites (Exodus 34), was also the man who needed someone to speak for him because he couldn’t trust God enough to give him the ability. While Moses saw himself as unworthy and unequipped for this task, God saw the full picture. God knew the powerful things Moses would do, in His name, and continued to hold onto Moses even when Moses disqualified himself. If not for God’s wisdom, grace, and patience, characteristics of great investors, the plan to rescue the Israelites through Moses could have fallen apart.

But why? Why would God hold onto Moses instead of finding someone else more capable and willing? The answer, I believe, lies in a foundational practice of great investors: research. Any wise investor knows that it is important to do your homework on a company prior to actually investing in it. You must study its history, review its trends, see if its values align with yours, etc. As The Great Investor, God did His homework concerning Moses and knew He was best for the assignment. Before he was even born, God knew the life Moses would live (Exodus 2). God knew the threat on Moses’ life when he was an infant. He knew the juxtaposition of Moses’ Hebrew lineage and his Egyptian upbringing. He knew Moses’ feelings of helplessness and disappointment as he tried to help his fellow Hebrews and failed miserably. God knew that, on his own, Moses could not accomplish God’s will. God knew much more than that however. God knew that the heart of Moses, reverent and obedient, would be key in bringing and implementing God’s laws to His people. He knew that Moses’ unique ability to function in both worlds would be the key to delivering the Israelites out of Egypt and fulfilling the promise He gave to Abraham hundreds of years prior (Genesis 12). For all that Moses did or didn’t do right, God knew that Moses’ character and life experiences would be instrumental not only in the rescue of the Israelites but in God’s glory being displayed on the earth. God couldn’t let Moses’ limited view of himself, no matter how true it may have felt at that time, cause a disruption in God’s larger purpose.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As with Moses, God has studied you too. God knows you, intimately, because He created you in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). Before you were even born, He knew you and called you for His purpose (Jeremiah 1:5). Factoring in every detail of your upbringing, fears, traumas, and self-perception, He is not blind to who you are and the hang ups you may have. Even still, He chooses you, wants you, and sees you as valuable. He sees you as worthy of the investment even when you can’t see it for yourself. Like Moses, unfortunately, these truths don’t always feel convincing. When you’ve seen yourself as stagnant, of minimal value, or even as a failure for so long, it’s hard to trust God’s narrative. I get that. I feel that. The process of unlearning and relearning who you really are will take time. Thankfully, as with Moses, God will provide you with resources to help you along the way.

When Moses continued to harp on his inabilities, God provided him with two things: Aaron and Moses’ staff. Aaron, Moses’ brother, was given the task of speaking to the people, as God commanded, until Moses had the confidence to speak on his own. Aaron stood in the gap to support Moses and show him how to walk in his own power. Are there any Aarons in your life currently? While your Aaron could be family, friends, mentors, or even therapists, I don’t want you to rule out the support of the Bible as well. Full of God’s promises and affirmations, let God’s confidence and love for you hold your hand as you work to believe it for yourself. Let the fact that God already sees you as perfect in Christ (Hebrews 10:14) provide rest from your perfectionist distress. Let His assurance that nothing you do or have done can separate you from His unyielding love (Romans 8:38-39) cause you to love yourself a little more each day. Let God’s overwhelming joy to have you back home after you’ve strayed away (Luke 15:20-24) give you a growing confidence to partner with God despite your past.

God also told Moses to use his staff to perform miracles that displayed God’s power. What’s already in your hand? What experiences, talents, dreams, or resources do you already have that could be used by God? This is not a time to compare yourself to the next person but to look within and recognize what about you provides the perfect vessel for God to accomplish His plan. It can be as small as an occasional hobby or something larger such as a testimony that has the ability to help someone else break free from their own bondage. Whatever it is, I ask you to commit it to God and watch Him use it in a miraculous way. My hope is that you will rest in knowing that when God calls you, He will commit to you. He is a long term investor. The Great Investor. Though the promise may be slow or even tumultuous at times, He promises to complete His work in and through you up until the final day. This is a promise God will certainly keep (Isaiah 55:11).

“When money realizes that it is in good hands, it wants to stay and multiply in those hands.” – Idowu Koyenikan

My plea is simple: don’t continue to fall victim to the lies that tell you there’s no redemption, healing, power, purpose, or worth left in you. The devil wants nothing more than for you to push away from Christ and succumb to a life less than your true calling. Everything about your story is powerful and purposeful, even if you can’t see it yet. God didn’t create you to walk through life broken and stagnant. He created you to mirror Him on the earth and to show His glory in your everyday life (1 Corinthians 10:31). I challenge you to let Him invest in you. Let Him use you, heal you, build you, and transform you. The sooner you accept His love and surrender to His work, the sooner you will begin to see your life as God does: purposeful, glorifying, and victory-filled. That’s God’s promise. That’s the glorious return on His investment. I can’t wait to see who you become.

We go from glory to glory³, twentysomethings ❤️

¹ https://www.moolanomy.com/6344/buy-and-hold-advantages/

² https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/average-stock-market-return

³ 2 Corinthians 3:18