In the Old Testament, we find this concept of a steward. The owner of a house would entrust the steward with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the household. The steward doesn’t own the house or anything in it, but is simply trusted by the owner to use what he is given wisely. This picture is one I often find myself using to describe our God-given responsibility to manage the gifts He has given us well. This past month in Thailand, my squad had the opportunity to practice stewardship by having more choice in the way they spend their time.
While Cambodia days lasted from 6:30am until 7pm, our schedule in Chiang Mai looked a bit different. The squad was split into two teams working with two different ministries– one mostly in the mornings, and one in the afternoons. A brief explanation of the two ministries:
Because the squad was split in two, my time was also split between them. This made it difficult for me to build good relationships with the locals at each of these ministries, which was hard for me to accept. The Lord quickly showed me, however, that my role this month was going to be stepping back and supporting from behind the scenes (providing perspective and empowering racers to strategically problem solve in one-on-one and group settings). I got to watch them take on stewardship, and help them do it well! This month prepared them for the upcoming transition back to life in the US, where they will also be faced with decisions about how to spend their time and live for God in every moment.
I also stepped into a good amount of stewardship myself this month. Because my schedule was so split up, I found myself with a lot decisions to make about where to spend my time. I was fortunate enough to work closely with the hosts that housed us for the month– the Bella Goose team (https://www.bellagoosecafe.com/). These relationships quickly became friendships, and I feel weepy thinking about what a gift it was to know and be loved by these people. The office staff and some of the baristas made Chiang Mai into one of my favorite places I have ever visited, and one of the hardest to leave.
This summer I memorized Romans 8 with some friends, and man has it been applicable. The chapter begins by dissecting the relationship between the spirit and the flesh. As Christians we live in a constant tension between our desires and what is actually good for us. A life surrendered to God is a life of discipline and stewardship, where we choose what God says over what we feel. This is a really hard thing to do! I’ve spent a lot of time this month reflecting on the tension, and asking God to help me choose the spirit over the flesh more often. This month showed me all over again how easy it is to choose the flesh, which draws me into gratitude for the cross. I don’t have to feel shame for the times I choose wrong, because He doesn’t see me for my shortcomings any longer. Hallelujah!!!
The fact that we’re headed home is unreal. It seems like just last week we landed in Thailand, and I blinked and it’s over. It makes me think about just how quick this life is… a blink and it’ll be over. Working on living in light of this truth more– being more generous with my finances, more intentional with my time, bolder with the truth of the gospel,… it all comes back to stewardship. Thanks God for the gift that it is to be Your steward in this short life. May we steward what we’ve been given well.
