Stewardship – The art of ownership
One thing that is always on my mind as I reflect on my experience in Peru is regarding “stuff”. We have so much stuff! We have more than we ever need, yet we get tricked to believe we need more than we have. It is a vicious cycle! We try to save for the future but the ads in the newspapers & the commercials on TV tell us we need more… “You may already have the 60GB Video iPod, but you really should get the 61GB Video iPod”.
I loved it in Peru… it was so simple! Granted, most of the people in Peru live on or below the Poverty line, and many live under $1 a day. But it only seems bad when someone tells you it’s bad. Their culture has adapted. Their have learned to live, joyfully I might add, with what they have… or what many may say, what they don’t have.
I am challenged by that. God created us for a purpose, and while we discover or live out that purpose we are managers of stuff. I was an assistant manager at a local fast food joint several years back, and my performance was judged partially on how well I managed the inventory. The stuff. I was given responsibility over it, even though it wasn’t mine… but I had to manage it. Hmmm… I think there is a correlation here. What’s the difference in life?
As I look at my hands typing this Blog right now… I ask myself “did I make my hands?”, “did I give myself the ability to use them?” NO! Everything I have in my life was provided to me through some means that God originally facilitated. He is the creator and maker of ALL things. Our bodies which enable us to get around, our talents or gifts we were born with and develop which give us the means to have a job. He wants us to focus on what we have, not what we don’t have.
So I have to be a good Steward of my stuff. One day at the end of my life I will stand before the ultimate manager and He will want to know how I managed His stuff. I thank God (the manager) that he does not expect perfection! He does expect devotion.
One last thought… I think it is very funny that if you look at a dollar bill, of any increment. It gives us the best advice. “In God We Trust”, even the money is telling us not to trust in the money. When they established this nation, they knew about the tendency to trust in something that will always let you down. So take a lesson from the almighty dollar… put your trust in God.
I loved it in Peru… it was so simple! Granted, most of the people in Peru live on or below the Poverty line, and many live under $1 a day. But it only seems bad when someone tells you it’s bad. Their culture has adapted. Their have learned to live, joyfully I might add, with what they have… or what many may say, what they don’t have.
I am challenged by that. God created us for a purpose, and while we discover or live out that purpose we are managers of stuff. I was an assistant manager at a local fast food joint several years back, and my performance was judged partially on how well I managed the inventory. The stuff. I was given responsibility over it, even though it wasn’t mine… but I had to manage it. Hmmm… I think there is a correlation here. What’s the difference in life?
As I look at my hands typing this Blog right now… I ask myself “did I make my hands?”, “did I give myself the ability to use them?” NO! Everything I have in my life was provided to me through some means that God originally facilitated. He is the creator and maker of ALL things. Our bodies which enable us to get around, our talents or gifts we were born with and develop which give us the means to have a job. He wants us to focus on what we have, not what we don’t have.
So I have to be a good Steward of my stuff. One day at the end of my life I will stand before the ultimate manager and He will want to know how I managed His stuff. I thank God (the manager) that he does not expect perfection! He does expect devotion.
One last thought… I think it is very funny that if you look at a dollar bill, of any increment. It gives us the best advice. “In God We Trust”, even the money is telling us not to trust in the money. When they established this nation, they knew about the tendency to trust in something that will always let you down. So take a lesson from the almighty dollar… put your trust in God.
Labels: Part-Time Peruvians
posted by Dan at 11:17 AM
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