deposits

When I was in college my bank account was often overdrawn. I was navigating the practices of responsibility. As if that weren’t enough, my husband and I got married young. We were frequently at the brink of having an overdrawn account, as we depended on our parents to support us through college. That was contributing to our delayed understanding of responsibility. In fact, my husband and I changed banks a few times, as we navigated and felt wronged by the bank. We learned quickly that the banks were not to blame.

The truth was that we needed deposits that were more substantial than our withdrawals. We had a responsibility that we had not come to understand, despite the adult decision we made to get married. 

Nowadays, people rarely take the time to visit a brick and mortar bank. You can make check deposits, view your balance, access your banking statements and make transfers online. For many people there is no longer a need to bank, unless you need cash or need to deposit cash. That changes things.

Sometimes those cash deposits are necessary. Figuratively, that’s true about all of us. We need substantial deposits in our knowledge bank, our emotional bank, and our growth bank. Those deposits should supersede the withdrawals. Without those deposits, our account will be in the negative, rendering us overdrawn. 

Matthew 25:19-20 – After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.

Truly, we often go on with life as though everything is okay, living on cruise control. I remember shopping in stores without knowing what my bank balance was. We do the same thing with our knowledge, emotions and growth. In order to be legacy makers we have the responsibility to check those accounts, and seek ways to make deposits that are more substantial than the withdrawals we make, in hopes that those deposits will provide depth for our lives. We have to be actively engaged in our figurative bank balance and build relationships with individuals who can make deposits in our life. We also need to make deposits into the lives of others. That means that we should be willing to connect with people who have grown in the ways we desire to grow. Those are people we can ultimately glean from. 

Questions for Reflection:

1. What reflections can you make about deposits in your life?
2. Who are you actively seeking to make deposits into your account?
3. Who’s life do you hope to deposit into?