It’s back-to-school time, and those of us in university are in the process of filling out student loan applications, renewal forms and certification forms. As we do so, it is easy to wonder whether it is all worth it, especially if, like me, you are attending a private university, where the student loans may be a little bit steeper. Many of our wise friends and relatives with good and kind intensions encourage us to carefully consider how we are using our money, their money and the money we will earn in the future.

Let me begin by saying the advice we are being given by the wise people in our lives is important and invaluable, and we ignore it at our peril. We are called to wisdom and caution and wise stewardship in the use of our money, and should not throw it around like it is nothing.

However, the attitude with which we approach questions like this can become fundamentally flawed. We often think of these issues with cost benefit analysis, comparing the amount of money we are likely to make with the amount of money we are spending for our education, and making decisions based on the results. This reflects our culture’s attitude that the pursuit of wealth and possessions is the supreme goal of life and all else must be subjugated to this highest purpose. This pursuit of wealth is ultimately destructive to both the people consumed by it and the people it consumes.

We all must face death, and there can be no escape, no refuge from its never ending march. Death will strip us of all that we have earned, all we possess. We all must go before the judgement seat of the Holy God and answer to Him for every day, every second of our lives. The question will not be whether you had an extensive 401(k) and earned as much money as you possibly could, but whether you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and lived wholeheartedly to serve and glorify His kingdom.

Thus, when considering whether any big decision is “worth it,” our first consideration must not be financial, although that does of course come into the picture. Our first question when choosing an education, buying a house, or choosing a job, must be what choice most enables us to glorify God and serve and love others wholeheartedly. We must be willing to sacrifice the things the world deems fundamentally necessary so that we may gain that which is truly of eternal value and worth.

In conclusion, when thinking about whether an action or decision is worth the sacrifice of time, money, and effort, don’t think as the world does, only in terms of prosperity and fiscal gain, but seeking spiritual wisdom and the growth of the kingdom.