people are worth investing in

People are worth investing in.

That doesn't mean it's easy. EVER. Doesn't mean there's a formula, or that there's money in it, or prestige, or what looks like many victories. Doesn't mean it's going to work out as planned or be fun often or be respected.

It's mostly sweat and tears. It's mostly on bended knee. It's mostly at your own expense, poured out, mostly challenging, mostly battered by the temptation to discourage, mostly foolish, it's mostly unglamorous perseverance.

But on days like today--when the product is PEOPLE and the platform is BEAUTIFUL--God reminds me every time that people are worth investing in simply because Jesus found them worth investing in.

Just that.

If Jesus found people worth giving Himself entirely to and for, though most would have called Him foolish, though they back-tracked, though they doubted, though they abandoned, though they did not understand, though they faltered and worried and fumbled and forsook, though in the end, they killed him...If Jesus found people worth investing in, then we are.

And if to this DAY He's still investing in me, then I. CAN. TO.

Thankful He is with us on the many grueling, carry-on-faithful days. Thankful we are with Him on the graduation, glory days.

Carry ON exhausted parents of young children. Carry ON pastors of churches full of imperfect, difficult people. Carry ON teachers of stubborn, hurtful humans, friends of fallen friends, servants of the hard-to-serve, spouses of impossible spouses, parents of hard-hearted children, evangelists to stone-throwers, disciplers of those easily shaken, mentors of painfully slow growth.

Because He carries on with me.

Grace, Grace, sprinkled with graduations to remind our hearts of the RICHNESS that is doing His work alongside Him: Investing in people. Carry on.