As I come through this journey, I’ve been thinking a lot about what the bible says about financial stewardship and what that looks like for my life and my future.
As I embarked on this trip, I was exposed to many realities of life around the world that I couldn’t even have imagined before. I consider myself to be an educated and reasonably informed person, but there are just things that don’t really become real to you until you truly “see” them for yourself. Other’s stories and pictures can only go so far to tell a story of need and desperation, but when you stand where they stand amongst the sights, smells, sounds, and faces of those affected it becomes real to you and it becomes something that you can’t turn away from. At least this is what happened for me.
At first, I was overwhelmed by what I experienced. In place after place I would meet people who lived with so much less than I could even fathom and they lived in places where there is no real possibility to raise that standard of living. However, many of these same people who had struggles beyond anything I had ever known had such a giving spirit that was beyond anything I had ever experienced . . . and it touched my heart. People with almost nothing would invite me into their home, and offer me food and drink without thought that this would mean they would not have enough for their own family that day. I met men & women my age who work hard, not for their own personal gain, but to care and provide for their parents and other family members . . . living with a mentality of selfless community purpose instead of a mentality of self-preservation.
My initial response to what I experienced was feelings of shame & frustration. I was ashamed of the selfishness prevalent in so many of my personal goals and of the importance that I had placed on material possessions & personal pleasures in my life. I felt shame for my lack of a truly giving spirit, especially in light of all of my blessings. I also felt frustration that so many others live this way, selfishly allocating resources for personal gain and pleasure without regard for others in need.
I spent time in prayer about this and the Lord revealed lessons to me of grace, for myself and others in this area, and released my heart of those feelings of shame, frustration, and of judgment.
The thing that I’ve realized is that though the concept of financial stewardship is biblical and applicable to all, it doesn’t and shouldn’t necessarily look the same for everyone. Only God knows the full plan of how it will all work together. What I have come to realize is that it is more about following God’s direction in how financial resources are allocated, just as we should follow His direction in every action, more than about exactly how the money is spent.
All that being said . . . I still do not have clear answers about what this means for my life and my future. I do come away from this knowing that God purposed for me to be where I have been this year and to experience all that I have experienced for a reason. I have a new perspective on those in need and a responsibility to seek His direction for action and to respond accordingly. I am excited to see what this will look like in the next season of my life and look forward to sharing it with all of you!
