Stewardship
Listen to the five-minute Stewardship audio program from Coach’s Corner.
Today I’m writing about stewardship, but with a twist. The description I’ve heard of stewardship is this: Imagine back in medieval times. A king needs to leave his kingdom for several months. In order to make sure his kingdom and people are well cared for while he is gone, the king appoints a steward: A person who is highly trusted and whose job it is to show good stewardship of the kingdom while the king is away.
I like this way of thinking about stewardship. Jesus, our king, has put us in charge of the kingdom here on earth and has given us many blessings and many resources that help us be good stewards of his kingdom on earth:
- Money
- Time
- Energy
- Passion
- Gifts
I’m not going to spend much time on money today. We’ve all probably heard how we can steward our money, but we often don’t hear a lot about how to steward our other resources.
Let’s start with time. In my experience with the world of church, we don’t manage our time as well as we manage our money. I’ve not seen a church yet that’s been indulgent in the use of their financial gifts. However, I’ve been in many church settings and many church meetings where it seems like time is not treated like the precious resource it is.
We all have the same amount of time, whether a server in a restaurant or the president of the United States. We each have only twenty-four hours a day. Some of us use that time more wisely than others. Some of us are really indulgent with our time. I’m getting better over the years, but I sometimes still find myself spending my time unwisely. It’s easy to do in our culture.
Energy is another resource we are called to steward well. My friend, author Jack Groppel, introduced me to the concept of energy management. He teaches a course on energy management. It’s sort of like time management. It’s about being really clear where your energy comes from, when you are at your peak energy, and how to use that best. I came out of that class very clear about when in the day my energy level is highest, and with a new understanding about how careful I should be to use that energy wisely.
Next up is passion. We all have passion that God has put in us. How we use that passion—or waste that passion—is another form of stewardship. I have a passion for learning what makes people tick, what makes them successful, what makes them grow, and also what doesn’t. I also have a passion for sharing those things. The Coach’s Corner blog and weekly radio show is one of the ways I’m attempting to manage my passion. I have to admit, it was hard for me to make the decision to take on one more project, but I came to see that it’s an outlet for something I’m passionate about, and hopefully it makes a difference for those of you reading the blog or listening to the program.
In the movie Chariots of Fire, runner Eric Liddell said this:
I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel God’s pleasure.
When I spend time doing things I have a passion for, I gain more energy. I do better work. I believe I’m more magnetic to others, and I feel God’s pleasure.
When you’ve given someone a gift, and they use it a lot and really enjoy it, doesn’t that make you happy? God has given us many gifts. Gifts can be all sorts of things: a great singing voice, a great sense of humor, or the ability to be strategic. Knowing God has given us each great and specific gifts, don’t you think it’s a matter of stewardship to then develop and use those gifts?
I encourage you over the next week to find a place to use your gifts, especially if it’s around a passion you have. Find the time to develop your gifts. It’s a form of stewardship. Think about where you’re not using your money or time or energy or passion in ways that would especially please God, and think about one way to change that. I know it will make God happy.
Post by Rodger.
Image by Nikko Russano.
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