Stewardship
I’ve tried to write this post a couple times—and each time I table it and opt for something easier. Something less soul bearing and vulnerable. Something that is more formed in my mind and concrete. But. I want to talk about my word for this year and what it means to me--if for no other reason than to give myself some clarity. It doesn’t sound like that hard of a subject. Maybe this time, this draft will be easier.
My word for last year was Faithfulness, and I never really unpacked why I chose that word. The end of 2015 had me feeling abandoned and desperate. I wasn’t trusting that God was working in my life. Even thought that wasn’t true. I let lies seep into the way I felt about myself and my relationship with Christ. So I made a conscious choice in 2016 to banish those lies and focus on how I could be faithful to God—and how He is faithful to my needs and me. That focus made a huge change in my attitude.
I feel like this year is going to be big. Big for several reasons. Big for personal growth, spiritual growth, and life events. Do you ever have the feeling? Like you're busting at the seams? It's hard to explain, but it's like you can see a glimpse at the last page of the chapter, and you know the pay off is good--so you're excited to get through the yucky and hard parts. It's that feeling.
So my word for 2017 had to be one that carried weight—a word that would be challenging. I chose a word that isn’t used much anymore—one that has begun to lose its meaning because that is the way language works.
The word for 2017 is Stewardship.
It’s a big word.
Let’s break down the word. What is a steward? A steward is someone who takes care of something worth caring for. It may sound vague—but is it?
This is one of those words that doesn’t get used very often. It doesn’t apply to modern America very well—because we don’t have kinds and queen and some of the lovely history that lies there.
Back in the days of active kings (those of you who know me, know that there is something about medieval times that pulls at me) a steward would have looked after the kingdom while the king was away. The steward was someone who worked solely to protect something that was not his own. It was out of loyalty and devotion for the king. And when the king was around, the steward would do whatever was asked of him.
For me, when I think of Stewardship, I think of The Lord of the Rings and the line of kings and stewards in Gondor. These men were meant to maintain the throne and kingdom until the king returned (much like real stewards in our own history). They kept the books. They managed the finances and the day-to-day. But the Stewards of Gondor were waiting for a king to return that they didn’t know—it had been decades since the last king was seen. They didn’t know if a king would ever return, and still they kept careful watch over something that wasn’t their own.
So how does all of this relate to me, and my faith journey?
How can I be a steward and exercise good stewardship?
These are the two questions I ask myself often.
I don’t have an earthly king that I am waiting for. I don’t have a kingdom that needs my protection. So how does this apply to me?
If you do a search of the word “steward” in a concordance, you’ll find that the Old Testament mentions stewards several times—always in the traditional sense of men helping rulers (Joseph in Egypt and Saul’s steward and so on). They are administrators that don’t have names (for the most part). They’re the people that do things in the name of someone else.
Shouldn’t I strive to be like that? There is a servant’s heart at the center of the stewards. My life should be a reflection of Christ because all I do should be in His name. I don’t know about you, but I know that my actions are not always Christ-like. And I’m embarrassed to think that they would be attributed to Him because He is my King and I am one of His stewards here on this earth. When I hear His calling in my life, there should be a willingness to move. But can I honestly say that’s always true? No.
In the New Testament, there is one use of the word steward:
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
In this chapter, Peter is describing how we live a counter-cultural life as Christians. His call to action is to love one another because “love covers a multitude of sins.” And he calls us to be hospitable—even when we don’t want to be. There’s a lot in this passage, but as I’m focusing on a particular word, let’s look at verse 10.
We all have gifts—gifts that we are meant to serve others with. What are we stewards of, according to Peter? God’s grace. What a noble position—a humbling position. It’s so humbling that it makes me pause. How can I be a steward of something so precious? But the best way to be a steward of that grace is to use our God-given gifts.
So the question remains, how am I using my gifts to serve others? And how am I being a steward with a servants heart?
