Our Search For A Platypus

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Behavioral Finance

Once it became a goal, we committed our resources to it.  It dictated where we went, when we went, and why we went.  My wife and I were vacationing in the Tablelands in Australia.  To reach the Tablelands, we had headed inland from Cairns in northeast Australia.  Not only were the Tablelands higher elevation and therefore cooler than the coast, but it was also where we could – with much effort – potentially spot a Platypus.

Platypuses often live in slow-moving muddy streams and are occasionally active during the day, so we had to approach our search strategically.  We asked locals, we read informational signs, and we visited promising streams at dusk.  We were trying to be good stewards of our time and money to accomplish our platypus goal! 

In the bigger picture of life, Scripture encourages us to be good stewards of God’s blessings in our lives.    Luke 12:48b reads, “Much will be required of everyone who has been given much.”  Ron Blue, considered the father of Christian Financial Planning, defines biblical stewardship this way: “The use of God-Given resources (time, talent, treasure, truth, relationships, etc.) for the accomplishment of God-given goals and objectives.” 

Here in America, whether we feel like it or not, we all have been “given much” in comparison to most people around the world.   Therefore, we have a mandate to do “much” with what we have been given.  It is a mandate to be good stewards by honoring the Lord with our wealth (Proverbs 3:9). 

Our diligence in Australia eventually paid off and my wife and I saw not only one, but two platypuses!  Our wise use of resources rewarded us with reaching our goal.  In the same way, may each of us be diligent in using the resources God has blessed us with.  Together let’s seek to accomplish His goals in our lives and in the world!

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

208.697.3699

doug@christianwm.com