Capital is at Risk

Having left a reasonably paid teaching post with its better-than-average pension scheme, the need to provide for retirement has been at the back of my mind these past 18 months. Although God can and does provide for us, there is, I think, an expectation that we shall be good stewards of what He gives us to start with, including a little financial planning. So I put a couple of hundred pounds into a modest private pension plan, with the intention to top it up each month. Nothing very ambitious, nothing likely to provide for cruises and plush care homes, but hopefully something to keep the wolf from my geriatric door. Opening the plan online, I had to tick various boxes to acknowledge that ‘my capital is a risk’. Sure enough, within 24 hours of its existence, I had lost fifty-two pence. For one who is ‘risk averse’ this is not very encouraging, but the hope remains that the sum will still rise, so that the money invested increases in value and those coming days of infirmity and dotage will be somewhat subsidised.

‘Your capital is at risk’.

To this stark warning, we might add:

‘Your health is at risk.’

‘Your happiness is at risk.’

‘Your mind is at risk.’

‘Your life is at risk.’

‘Your relationships are at risk.’

It seems that everything is at risk: each thing has a built-in danger of imploding, exploding, shrinking or disappearing. The only treasure, investment, relationship and status which can survive the pangs of death, illness, dementia and economic crisis, is one’s adoption by God through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not at risk, for He shall hold us fast, even while we think that it is we who hold fast to Him.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, NKJV