things that God’s been speaking to me over the last week with
incredible detail, but the thing that keeps coming back to me is: stewardship.
It’s such a simple and profoundly impactful word. It’s origins don’t
come from the hands like we think; it evolves from the overflow of the
heart.
I recalled this story from Cambodia last year when I gave some chips
away to a little girl who was begging at a bus stop. She grabbed some
of the Pringles from the can I gave her, then handed the can to another
girl who grabbed a few, passed the can to another man, who grabbed a
few and passed on the can, on and on and on until they were all gone.
They did the same with a soda. What I thought I was giving to a hungry
little girl actually fed an entire community.
All because she was a steward of what she was given.
I’m not trying to puff myself up or make myself sound like a
Catholically-knighted saint. What I’m trying to paint a picture of is
how to steward a gift. My mom’s reading the book The Blind Side right now. You can watch the trailer to the movie here.
But one of the things that the mother-figure in the book said was that
“God gives us money to see what we do with it.” She chose to use it to
bless others, to clothe a kid off of the street, feed him, put him
through school, through college, etc. Her and her family opened up
their home, took him in, and made them one of their own. She became
the kid’s mother. The kid ended up being one of the best left-tackles
in the NFL.
Not only did she steward her finances, but she stewarded the grace and love of God she’d been blessed with.
Maybe I’m thinking too far-fetched, I know.
I know that I love to steward what God’s given me, especially my
finances. I’m a support-raised missionary and sometimes… especially
in this economy… it’s hard to believe that I’m going to reach my
support goals. But I still tithe. I still give. Quite
honestly, it’s really easy for me to give my time. I hear people say
all of the time that stewardship and giving involves more than just
finances. I agree.
And as the holidays are on us, giving almost always goes up. I wonder
though: why is it only one time a year? Why do some people only give
during the Christmas season? Stewardship isn’t a seasonal affair.
It’s a daily one.
has given you? Are you doing the things that He wants you to do with
it? I don’t think God’s testing you, necessarily; but I do think that He blesses you so that you can become a blessing to others.
