Matt Smay

Stewardship is one of my favorite words/concepts. I find stewardship is one of the make-it or break-it life issues. It effects our ability to sustain our lives, maintain balanced relationships, prioritize our time, and build our families. However, it’s often a subtle, under the surface issue that is barely noticed when developed as a character trait, but can cause our entire world to come undone when not maintained.

Stewardship can be defined as ‘guiding or directing something to completion.’ In this case, that something is our life, relationships, finances, health, spiritual growth, or overall well-being. We often set goals or priorities for  these main life issues, but I find stewardship problems typical occur when we make one, or a series of bad decisions in one of these major areas. Life is extremely complex today and our decisions can be mind-wrenching, which is why I think most bad decisions happen when we are confused, frustrated, or distracted.  In John 10:1-5 there’s a great passage that provides some context for us…

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice… The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The confusion and distractions can come from the ordinary, the mundane, and can have an appearance of good intentions, but just aren’t consistent with our calling. Calling is critical to the issue of stewardship because it is the compass and map for our unique destiny. It’s easy to forget that the easy path is not necessarily the right one, and that sometimes the things that are most rewarding require the most sacrifice. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus gives us a significant challenge, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Whether the decisions are hard or easy, I’ve found the right ones bring a fullness and consistency to life.  

I’m assuming that most people have good intentions and desire to be good stewards, but fail to recognize the thief for what it is. I will occasionally take a little personal inventory and consider –

1. Where in my life am I being robbed (time, money, health, relationships, spiritually, emotionally)?  
2. And where am I not hearing the voice of the shepherd?

The first question helps me recognize when I’ve strayed off course and the second is what helps keep me on it in the first place!