"Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future"

A Lesson in Stewardship Courtesy of Her Kids    

The best way that I've found to understand my relationship with God is to put it in the context of my relationship with my kids. One of the things that I realized through that process is that parenting is an act of stewardship. By definition, stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care. God has entrusted me and my husband with our boys. We are responsible for their care and upbringing. It seems obvious, but I never acknowledged the connection until now. I thought it would be interesting to view stewardship through my relationship with my kids. Here are some of the things I discovered:

Stewardship requires trust. I have very inquisitive kids who like to question everything. When they start questioning why I'm asking them to do something, I try to resist the temptation of using my father's favorite response - 'because I said so'. Sometimes I try to explain why I'm making the request, but most times I simply ask them to trust me. My answer to the inevitable next question of why they should trust me is because, as their mom, I only ask them to do things that are in their best interest. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (Proverbs 3:5). When I look at stewardship from this perspective, it becomes clear. I now realize that I need to spend less time questioning why I'm asked to give things to others. I instead need to spend more time trusting in God's plan for my life.

Stewardship requires action. There is an unwritten rule in my house that a request should only be made one time. My kids know that my having to ask more than once could result in problems for them. But more importantly, they know that I will be extremely disappointed in them for not following my instructions the first time. God very clearly asks us to give. "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7). When I look at stewardship from this perspective, it becomes clear. How many times is God going to have to ask me to give before I act on it? I expect my kids to do things the first time I ask - doesn't God deserve the same courtesy?

Stewardship requires sacrifice. My kids rely on me and my husband for everything - food, clothing, shelter, entertainment, etc. And, in all honesty, there is not really that much they can do at this point to make our lives easier - they can't run errands, make dinner, help with the finances, etc. However, we gladly make these sacrifices because of our inexplicable love for them. Similarly, with God being omnipotent, there is really nothing that I can do for God that would justify the blessings that He gives me. However, God continues to bless me because of His unending love and grace. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, (John 3:16). When I look at stewardship from this perspective, it becomes clear. Stewardship involves me, but it's not about me.

I love being a mom and I am so grateful for the wisdom my kids bring to my life. I now have a much better understanding of how to fulfill my call to stewardship. Being a good steward is the natural response to God's grace. It's funny that it took me becoming a mother to learn how to be an obedient child.

Kristin Harrison