Steward it Well

I am frequently having a conversation with God regarding stewardship and my own personal commitment to it. Stewardship is the responsibility we each have to properly manage and take care of something that has been given or earned. One of our goals in life should be to leave for others more than what we’ve taken for ourselves. Stewardship requires a level of trust, responsibility and commitment.

Many times, people assume stewardship is about money management. While that’s part of stewardship, that’s not everything. We should have a desire to manage our money well. What is placed in our hands is important, and we should not squander or mishandle it. But stewardship is about all resources that come to us, which includes our skills and our time. We should steward every resource that is given to us well. That stewardship is important to also use when operating a business. This can include setting aside funds to develop a reserve that is used in cases of emergencies or offset unexpected expenses. We should make sure to properly manage our staff and place individuals in areas where they are talented and skilled. This includes learning how to budget funds, and learning how to ensure the core functions of the business can operate with those resources. Stewardship also includes learning how to say “no” when finances are tight and you can’t afford, either in time or in finances, to complete something effectively.

The other important aspect of stewardship is accountability. We must learn to take responsibility for how we manage the resources that are provided to us, accepting the consequences or rewards of those decisions. It means being okay when questions are asked of us, sometimes as points of clarity and understanding, so that people who sow into you or your business can clearly understand how resources are managed. When leaders are nervous or concerned about being held accountable for those resources, it presents as a red flag. The scripture talks about in Luke 16 of how a wealthy man questioned his business manager for how he managed his wealth. While initially the wealthy man questioned him, he later applauded him for how he dealt with his debtors, being shrewd and intelligent in his dealings. The story later states that when someone can be trusted with little, they should be trusted with much. But the first part of that scripture in verse 10 talks about trust. If people trust where and how their resources are stewarded, and see the benefits of their resources, they don’t mind further sowing in. The issue is that sometimes, quite frankly, some can’t be trusted. The 2nd part of Luke 16: 10 states that people who are dishonest with little will also be dishonest with much. That is oftentimes the truth we’re afraid to share with others. But sometimes that truth should liberate us to say the hard things, in love and grace, so that we can be held accountable for our decisions and get better at stewardship.

I am learning how to better manage my own resources. That includes how my time is spent. It means decreasing the amount of time spent doing frivolous things, such as trolling on social media, rather than spending time on fruitful activities that will help to better myself. Sometimes that stewardship means taking a walk to support my own self-care, versus the time spent binge-watching television. As I look back over my time, I realize how much time I’ve wasted on unimportant tasks. I also realized how much I’ve wasted my resources, such as my skills and my finances, that never bettered my life or anyone else’s. I am learning to assess things daily and to make conscious decisions about my stewardship. I want people to trust myself and my business, and to know that I will steward well what’s given to my hands to complete.

Let’s all do better collectively to manage what is given to us. Let’s put better systems in place, whether in our personal lives or in our business, to manage our resources well. Sometimes those systems of accountability will save us from ourselves. Trust is key to gaining more.