ROI

  

                      ROI  Not a misprint, just the abbreviation for something most of us are concerned with:

                                                                                Return On Investment


We would all like to say that we do things and expect nothing in return, but the truth is we do expect something. For those with investments, it is a good return on what they invest in the market. For those who work, we hope for a raise/promotion based on our efforts.
In a relationship, we can say we are giving unconditional love, but what we are really saying is that we want to be loved the same way, thus we receive a ROI.

We could go on to cite other examples but let's just focus on two things, our faith and if appropriate, our recovery. If we have faith, we expect things to happen for good: Peter walking on water, the Centurion hoping for a miracle, most of us for healing or better quality of life, and add whatever situation you want. The ROI of faith is the fulfillment of that faith in what we trust in to happen. If it doesn't happen, we sometimes lose faith, and even lose it too soon before the intended result of success. 

Use the Israelites as the best example of this, wandering 40 years when they had basically a 40 minute walk to the promised land. Truth is that if we are born again believers, we are realizing the destiny of our faith every day regardless of the daily circumstances. Our ROI is our salvation, bought and paid for in full. The investment was our surrender.

Now let's take one step more and enter recovery. Probably the biggest reason for relapse of addiction is impatience with the process of healing. We get into a relationship too soon because we are lonely, we switch jobs because we don't feel like we are making enough even though we are getting by, we put too much pressure on ourselves too soon, again trying to do this by ourselves, with our solutions. What we surrendered too, we un-surrender to, and we get the same results we always have by doing it our own way.

And then we crash even though our sponsors, advisors, friends tell us to keep doing the basics and that our ROI will eventually be sobriety. Instead, the same failure, the same low self esteem, the same brokenness returns, and, because we have run out of excuses, we blame everyone else. Our ROI has now become a Raging Out of control Individual!  

So, let's look at the flip side, that part where we actually let someone else work our investment for us, that is where God comes in and we stay out. Look around at those who have made it to sobriety, look at their faces, see the lives that have been transformed and ask yourself a question- What was their ROI? 

I can answer that without hesitation, it is a life that actually has roots of growth, joy and fulfillment all around it. Countless scriptures I won't quote all talk about what can happen to a transformed life, but there is one I would like to close with and let you decide for yourself what your ROI is............

"They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."  Jeremiah 17:8