REPORT
PERSONAL CAPITAL
A financial consultant firm with which I work has developed a concept of life-time capital. Simply put, the idea is that early in life we have a life-time of vigor ‘wealth,’ but we are very short on other more tangible assets. The graph nearby shows the hypothetical trends of Personal Capital, including Human Capital (the ability to earn), Housing Equity, Pension Value and Financial Assets.
A young person may think that she has no wealth, while in reality she has a career of potential earnings, or human capital. A middle-aged person has begun to accrue some more tangible assets, but the career earnings potential has been partly used up. A retiree has used up virtually all of his human capital, but has (hopefully) accrued enough financial capital to carry him through the retirement years.
erhaps my stewardship capital declines through a life of a covenant relationship with God, as I ‘use up’ my potential giving, but how do I measure the untold heavenly wealth accrued through a walk with Jesus?"
For investment theorists, it is an interesting concept which can guide how investments are allocated during the lifelong shift of personal capital. However the Christian looks at his life differently. Is it possible to graph the more spiritual aspects of one’s life? How does my spiritual passion capital trend? Does it mature and grow from my youthful ‘first love’? How about my character capital? Do my ‘fruits of the spirit’ grow and develop over my life of service? Perhaps my stewardship capital declines through a life of a covenant relationship with God, as I ‘use up’ my potential giving, but how do I measure the untold heavenly wealth accrued through a walk with Jesus? No, even though it makes one think, I guess I won’t try to graph the concept of spiritual capital. It just doesn’t fit. The graph nearby assumes a termination of life, but the Christian is accruing for eternity; probably not enough room on the page for that graph. Furthermore, the eternal wealth of heaven does not accrue over a life of hard work, but is the result of the blood of Jesus, a value which cannot be quantified. “With more than a father’s pitying love for the son of his care, God had ‘sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place.’ [2 Chr. 36:15, 16.] When remonstrance, entreaty, and rebuke had failed, he sent to them the best gift of Heaven; nay, he poured out all Heaven in that one gift” (The Great Controversy, p. 19).