"But I don't want to give it back. I need it. It's my car!" I pulled into the parking spot and slammed my hands against the steering wheel. Several months before that moment, my mom had shown up at my dorm and given me a car. She said then that it was only mine until her car died or I left for Denmark. But now that her car had broken down, I was not happy about giving it back.
"Whose car is it?" I didn't hear a voice, but I knew God had spoken that to me pretty clearly. After all, I'd been praying for God to give me a car when my mom showed up with that one. He got His point across. No matter who was driving, it was His car. I still wasn't crazy about giving the car back to my parents that weekend, but I learned something important that day.
Nothing I have is mine. It's all His. I'm the steward of all God has given me, and He has given me everything I have.
A few years ago, I heard someone say, "Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities." Often, when we hear the word "steward," we think of money. But stewardship is so much more than that. It's about taking care of what God has given us and using it well.
We don't have a right to our time; God does. He gave it to us. You wouldn't expect your employer to be happy if you agreed to work for 40 hours, got paid for 40 hours, but only worked 30. If you're a Christian, you've promised God your entire life. Your assigned work is advancing His Kingdom.
We don't have a right to our bodies; God does. You wouldn't go to someone else's house and intentionally leave a mess or tear down their walls. Why would you do that to the temple the Holy Spirit lives in?
If you have kids, you don't have a right to them; God does. They're His children. You wouldn't tell your friends how to raise their kids just because they spent the night at your home. God's kids might be around for 18+ years, but they're still His to raise the way He wants them raised.
Our time, our bodies, our money, our dreams, our families, our relationships. Our cars, our houses, our things. Everything we have is His. As stewards of His things, it is our responsibility to care for them. It is our responsibility to care for them the way He would. If He asks for us to give something back we should. When we prove that He can trust us, God always gives us more in return.
Not even two months after the scene in my car (that thankfully no one saw), my parents drove back to Columbia. When they left, the car stayed. God blessed me with the same car - TWICE. After making it pretty clear that it was His to do with as He pleased. The second time, I never forgot that it was His.
As you are making goals or resolutions for this year or trying not to give up on them already, ask how you can be a better steward of what God has given you. Whether that be by managing your money or your time, getting healthy, investing in relationships, developing your talents, or anything else. Ask God how He wants you to take care of it, and do what He says.
Join the conversation.
- What areas of your life have you tried to take ownership of rather than stewarding for God's purposes?
- What will you do differently this year to be a better steward?
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