Looking out our finances, or any other area of responsibility for that matter, in order to get a hold of it takes a certain measure of courage. Trying to manage it involves time, dedication, and sometimes a little "pain." It is easy to get discouraged if things aren't going the way we want them to or if the task seems too daunting.

So why should we do it then? What difference does it make if we put our energy into it and sometimes find the going rough versus just letting it go and saying, "the heck with it"?

The difference is accountability.  That accountability is basically two things:   On a human level, it is our way of showing ourselves as being capable and mature enough to handle those things which are in our care.  On the spiritual level, it is our responsibility to the divine to live up to what we are given as part of our spiritual journey. Those things are held in our charge and are put there to give us an opportunity to grow.

Called to Stewardship

Genesis 2:15 "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden to cultivate it and keep it."

Stewardship is a God driven principle that has displayed itself from the very beginning of Creation.  There are no higher standards than God's, and whenever He made something He would declare it good.  He was thorough and purposeful about His work.  His designs were sequentially and organized.

Light... water.... land....plants.....living beings for the sea and land.... humans.
 
Each done in a specific order with a purpose in mind. No wasted effort.

And when this was complete God passed on this ideology to Adam. His job was to take care of that which the Lord had given him, and in doing so he, Adam, would benefit from it.

This has been the way of things since the beginning, and it will remain so until the end. We each have been called by God Himself to be responsible for those things with which we have been entrusted.

Made for Stewardship

Genesis 4:2 "...and Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground."

Have you ever met someone that just seemed to be a natural at something?  Maybe it was playing sports or being a musician. Or perhaps it was someone who throughout their life seemed to be drawn to areas of science or history and is now a professor or author, and a part of you admires that.

In looking at those areas that we are accountable, for better or worse, we each have been made with a purpose. Our gifts, talents, abilities, and the material things under our influence are ours solely by God's intentional provision and are there for our benefit. Cultivating those areas of our lives means recognizing that traits and living up to them.

We are both designed with these traits and for many, as time goes by, we mature and develop or discover new ones. But they are in each of us and as we use them and foster their growth we often find contentment because we are doing what we were made to do. 

It is when we go against this or neglect them for some reason that we being to fail. We lose our way. We become discontent and disheartened. We lose sight of who and what we once dreamed of being. 

Our stewardship is demonstrated by how we behave in those areas of responsibility: Our work, relationships, finances, health, and others areas of life where we have the opportunities.  We have the option to nurture, protect, and encourage growth or in failing to do so we neglect, under perform, and lose out on.

Regardless of our circumstances we all have opportunities to utilize the resources and natural strengths that are ours to better ourselves and others with what we do, who we are, and what we chose to be. In spite of of our perception, we each have these obligations.


Established by Stewardship

Genesis 39:2 " The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man....."

Each of us can likely thing of a time in which we have seen someone who has become successful at something they do. Be it a movie star, business professional, or a stay-at-home parent who guides the household well. Each successful in their own right, each held to a level of accountability. Each living that out and doing it well.

How did they do it? The chances are it was by doing those things that made sense and fit with who they are in their character and makeup. In other words, they employed those skills and talents that they had to their best interest, and the outcome was success.

For those of us who may struggle with areas of our lives that don't seem to "fall into place" quite so easily, don't be discouraged. It does not mean that you do not have these same opportunities or that you can't succeed at where you are at in life. And to be realistic in our view here does mean to realize that we may not always be "successful" by worldly standards, but that shouldn't inhibit our growth. Remember, "success" and "stewardship" are two different things.  Being a steward of things means doing well in those areas in which we are capable and responsible, while success is measured by the world's desire to imitate something that you do. The world sees success, but God sees stewardship. 

Many of us can think up an example of someone who was great at what they did but was not recognized for it. I am certain that we know someone who lived a life "in the shadow" of someone greater. But does that mean that they weren't a success? No. What it means is that they held themselves accountable for the things that they were to be taking care of, and because of that, they were successful regardless. They were good stewards.


It's Our Turn

In the end, though, we must consider that stewardship isn't about wealth or prosperity, but rather that it is about the attitude a person has in regards to what he or she has been given. Each of us has the capacity for stewardship, exercising that capacity is the first step to succeeding in the process.

In the end, those who truly succeed are the ones who have pursued, engaged, and delivered in these arenas with their utmost.

We have been called to it.

We have been made for it.
 
We are established by it.
 
Let us pursue it!