If you own a business, then you know the importance of ROI or better known as return on investment. ROI tries to directly measure the amount of return on a particular investment, relative to the investment’s cost. Simply stated, will my return be worth my investment?
It makes good business sense. But how do you measure ROI when you are investing in people’s lives? If the return you are seeking is life-change, can you ever invest too much?
At our two shelters, we know from experience that our business is a matter of life and death. Both physically and spiritually. Our services have literally been lifesaving for some. For others, their eternal lives have been changed after hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You just can’t put a price tag on that.
We have to replace the question, “Is one person worth that much time and effort?”, with a new question, “How much is one person worth?”
Jesus spent a lot of His time on earth with marginalized people. He didn’t just wait for people to come to Him. Many times, he was the seeker. He even said of Himself, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He modeled for us His own teaching about leaving the 99 to go after the one.
Now, of course I realize there aren’t endless amounts of time and resources. Believe me, I know this well. There are circumstances when people just do not want to be helped. There are also times when it seems like you are working harder to help them than they are to help themselves.
So back to my earlier question, “Can you ever invest too much?” The answer has to be yes and no. Yes, there is a point when the person you are trying to help becomes responsible for their choice to receive or reject the help. And no, the investment you make, whether received or rejected is never wasted. Maybe you planted a seed that someone else will water down the road.
