Live a life that’s truly priceless
Life insurance is an important financial planning tool. It’s the most common way to make sure that the people who depend on your income are protected when you die.
What’s more important than life insurance? Living.
When it comes to financial nuts and bolts, we can talk about life insurance, and I’ll help you be sure you’re appropriately covered. But I also want you to genuinely live and not just exist, to flourish and fully do what you’re here to do, to unpack all the gifts God has given you.
True wealth means looking forward to each new day with joy, even when you’re facing challenges. It means embracing all that life has to offer every day, not just on the weekends or for one or two weeks a year when you take your vacation. It means approaching the end of life with peace and without regrets and wishes for do-overs.
How can you get that true wealth in your portfolio? I have three suggestions.
Sleep
A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. (Proverbs 24:33-34, NLT)
That scripture has created a whole army of workaholics—myself included—who think we’re not supposed to sleep. We think we have to constantly be in motion, constantly be doing things. But that’s not what this verse means. Read the surrounding text and you’ll see the message is not to go without sleep but rather to be productive and not lazy.
To truly absorb the moment and know what God wants us to do next, we need to be still. We need to rest.
After God created the universe, he rested. We are made in God’s image, which means we are made to need rest. Not getting enough sleep can cause anxiety and distress in otherwise healthy people and increase the risk for mental health disorders.
Find your optimum sleep rhythm and make getting sufficient sleep a priority.
Nutrition
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31, NLT)
I call this food by God. You truly are what you eat, so eat nutritious, healthful food that nourishes your body the way God intended. You don’t need to deprive yourself but eliminate the junk by substituting healthier alternatives. You’ll feel better, have greater clarity, and reduce inflammation.
Food is fuel. When you put quality fuel into your body, you’ll have more energy and be likely to move (exercise) more.
Relationships
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12, NLT)
The quality of your life is directly related to the quality of your relationships, and genuine relationships take time and effort.
Years ago, I heard Zig Ziglar say that if you have five friends when you die, you’ve lived a good life. At the time, I thought that was horrible, to only have made five friends in your whole life. I eventually learned that he was talking about quality human connection, not superficial acquaintances.
We must make our relationships a priority. Cut back on social media and engage in real life. Commit to spending time with the people you care about in the same way you commit to your life’s work. As you do that, remember your most important relationship is the one between you and your Creator and your second most important relationship is the one between you and yourself.
We are commanded to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves—not squeeze in a minute or two with God when we have the chance or neglect or condemn our neighbors.
Be intentional about loving God, loving people, and loving yourself. When you love yourself, you can love others better.
So that’s it: Get enough sleep, eat well, and invest in your relationships. That’s how you ensure that the life you insure will be well spent.
