Every Square Inch — Faith Driven Investor

My altitude is 10,000 ft and I’m descending through a cloud layer to reveal the city of Marawi, Philippines. Bombed out buildings as far as the eye can see paint the landscape in brushstrokes straight out of a World War II movie. The crew of 11 under my command is tired from night after night of combat missions. The radio crackles with our tasking for the day: “…ISIS … children… bait for an ambush… find them before it’s too late…”. Each word blaring through deepens the grief in my heart over a broken world, but my adrenaline and resolve keep me going.

Fast forward to 2021 and – removed from the prodding of war – I sometimes long for the levels of adrenaline-filled grief for the world around me. We live in the midst of a cosmic battle, and the evil one is kicking ass and taking names while I often focus on tomorrow’s deadline or today’s crisis. As C.S. Lewis puts it:

Enemy occupied territory – that’s what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.
~C.S. Lewis

The Bible leaves no doubt: there is a war raging all around us between the Kingdom of God and the tyranny of a cruel insurgency. (1) “There is no neutral ground in the universe,” says Lewis. “Every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.” (2)

If we believe we live in a war, it changes the paradigm of our decisions and why we invest our resources, including money. Investing often feels like an epic strategy game where the smartest or the luckiest win the most tokens, and even Faith Driven Investing is not immune from being tinged with the same motivations that drive Las Vegas. However, if we believe that we and our money are part of a war, our priorities are re-framed to focus on taking ground from the enemy.

One place the enemy has produced immense suffering is disease in poor nations. LivFul is a company that has dedicated their business to head into the most broken parts of the worldwide healthcare system to save lives from Malaria and other diseases, creating health solutions for the poor. Modern day slavery is another stronghold for the enemy. FRDM is a company dedicated to ending modern-day slavery through software and transparency in supply chains. The entrepreneurs and investors that see their world as a battle ground identify the strongholds of the enemy and build businesses to take ground from the darkness.

As an investor, I have the privilege of partnering with warriors bringing light to dark places, but this war is incredibly tiring unless I’m continually filled up by Jesus. At its core, stewardship is faith in action, which means that investing isn’t just a means to an end, but expressing our faith as an outflow of love for God. I have to keep the first commandment first, or I’ll burn out.

It is in getting and staying close to God that wins victories. Our relationship with God is the root of the good fruit in our lives. We are both warrior and bride waiting for our groom to come and sweep us off our feet. Jesus told us “I am the root. Abide in me, and you’ll bear much fruit.” The war and the romance are intimately connected.

Earlier this month, I got to be part of introducing the leadership of one of our Eagle portfolio companies to a local House of Prayer pastor in the Philippines. We never found those children that day flying over Marawi, but in a beautiful redemptive moment, this company employs 100 people in the Philippines near where I fought. This pastor is going to be a chaplain for those 100 Filipino employees, sharing the love of God in a place that just a couple of years ago felt so dark.

Stewardship is faith in action. We live on a battlefield, where we get to express our love for our groom who is coming soon through acts of faith every day. We are preparing for the groom’s return, and we are shining light in the darkness, but more importantly, we are growing closer to Jesus through every step of faith. Every day matters, not just the exit, not just the money we can give way, not just the impact we make. It’s the steps of faith along the way and as we get closer to Jesus and enjoy Him more and more.

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Footnotes

(1) Adapted from How to Pray by Pete Greig

(2) C.S. Lewis, Christian Reflections