Worth More Than Diamonds

Can money buy happiness? Maybe, if we invest it right.

I remember reading a Readers Digest story many years ago called “Wealth Beyond Diamonds.” It was about two people in love who were working their way through college during the Depression. The couple decided that instead of buying a diamond for their engagement they would use the money to help a friend with the tuition he needed to stay in school.

Turns out this friend went on to do well for himself, and was so grateful that he in turn became involved in helping others with similar needs, multiplying the effect of the original gift. All of which made the couple feel so rewarded for their original investment that they decided to make a lifelong practice of helping deserving students.

In their old age, they felt enormously rich in the satisfaction, the friendships, and all of the other rewards they experienced from the way they had invested their money. The best investments, they came to believe, were in assets that truly last, like people. Which may be what Jesus had in mind when he taught us (Luke 12:33) to store up treasure in the "bank of heaven" (through giving to the poor) rather than in things that moths can destroy, rust can tarnish or thieves can break in and steal.

In the end, what better legacy could we leave behind? The dividends are priceless, worth far more than diamonds.