“Investing that makes the world rejoice®” — If you are familiar with Eventide, you have heard this phrase many times. It originates from Biblical texts that contrast the impact of ethical stewardship of power and influence, versus the impact of “the wicked.”

Read the transcript:

I want to  share with you about the phrase, “Investing that makes the world rejoice.” If you’re familiar with Eventide, you’ve heard this phrase many times. So, I want to give you a deeper sense of its meaning. It actually comes from a verse in Proverbs which says, “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices.”

I want to go deeper into two of these words, the word “righteous,” so who are the righteous? And then the word “rejoices.” What does it mean for the city to rejoice? The word “righteous” actually describes a very specific type of person. It’s those who would put others’ interests ahead of their own while in contrast, the wicked are those who would put their own economic, social, or personal desires ahead of others.

I’ve heard this described in a way that just stuck with me. It was that the righteous are those who would disadvantage themselves for the good of others, while the wicked, in contrast, are those who would advantage themselves at the expense or even the harm of others.

The word “rejoice” is actually a very special word. It’s only used eight times in the entire Bible. So to give you a sense of its meaning, I want to share with you from one of its instances, which comes from the life of Hannah. Hannah is a woman who struggled with infertility, and so she devoted herself to prayer and to fasting, to really pleading with the Lord to change her situation. And ultimately, He did, and He gave her a son, whose name was Samuel. There are actually two books of the Bible, I and II Samuel, that are written about the greatness of this person’s life. So as Hannah receives a child, she prays a prayer to the Lord where she says, “My heart rejoices in the Lord.” So if you can picture a woman in this type of situation, someone who has struggled with infertility for many years and finally receives a child, that’s what we’re talking about when we use this word “rejoice.”

So if we look at this verse, “When the righteous prosper,” when those who would disadvantage themselves for the good of others – when they prosper – the city rejoices. It’s an over-the-top type of celebration, a dancing-in-the-streets type situation, where even the deepest despair has been turned into the greatest joy.

We invite you to partner with us, and together, let’s seek to make the world rejoice through investing.
Author

Sherrie Johnson Smith

Impact Product Strategist

Sherrie Johnson Smith serves as an Impact Product Strategist at Eventide. She is responsible for leading research and driving strategy for a new direct-impact investment product from Eventide.

Ms. Smith formerly served as Director of Marketing at Eventide, where she was responsible for leading Eventide’s brand strategy, marketing, and corporate communications. Prior to joining Eventide in 2017, Ms. Smith’s background includes Marketing and Product Management for sport technology startup Trayn. Before that, she served as a Strength & Conditioning Coach for the US Ski Team.

Ms. Smith holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.