“We can either have a hard decade or a bad century.”

A few weeks ago on CNN, NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman was interviewed about his new book, “That Used to Be Us,” regarding the economy's ruinous effect on the American dream. One ‘sound bite’ quote in particular caught my attention: “We can either have a hard decade or a bad century.” Of course he is referring to the hard choices we must make now for the sake of our grandchildren’s future. The statement not only captures the difficult dilemma of our generation, but states a principle that is pregnant with deeper meaning to those who have ears to hear it!

Perhaps unknowingly, Friedman has revealed a spiritual principle: short-term losses are necessary for long-term gains. In God’s economy, “time” is the short and “eternity” is long. Jesus stated it clearly: if you try to keep your life now, you will lose it in the future (no treasures in heaven) (Matthew 16:25; 6:20). And not only that, but our gain is also a present reality. To the degree we suffer the loss of all things now, we will gain Christ both now and in eternity (Phil 3:8), in the end, receiving “a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).