"Oh, Stewardess..."
No, not that kind of steward!
I received an email from "Trish" recently and it sounded like something that needed shared.
Her email was a reach out for prayer in the specific need of handling the household finances. She is the one responsible for paying the bills between her and her husband. She explained that things had been going really good financially in their family, and she got lax on her diligence of weekly reviewing the bills/income. When she finally sat down to go through things she realized they were in trouble. She got too confident and the numbers showed that they were trending in the red. At the time of the email she was scared; for several reasons. She had no idea what they were going to do. She was scared to tell her husband. She was embarrassed and felt like she failed.
Have faith, I kept in contact with Trish and her situation is working out! Thank you God!
I can relate to Trish, and told her pretty much what I'm getting ready to tell you. In our house, I handle the bills/finances, also. (No, it's not a woman-gets-the-money-thing, silly.) That's our system and that is how it works best for us. That wasn't our first system though, when we were buying the house it came to a situation that we needed a better system for bill paying; so here we are almost 2.5 years later and things have been good. Thank you Lord!
Nobody is perfect though! Who hasn't made a boo-boo with the bills???? I bet everyone has! As most people I know do, it's the time of year to wait for the tax return to help straighten out some things. Just like Trish, I had a day not to long ago where I hung my head as well; a lot of things happened in December. Let's be honest- who wants to worry about money around the holidays? Not me.
I take my responsibility of handling the finances seriously. I do it to relieve a burden from my husband. I failed. Not just my partner, but God. I prayed, "God, I cheated you. Show me what to do."
Steward?
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it." -Genesis 2:15
Webster says that a steward is someone who protects or is responsible for money and property; a person whose job is to manage the property of another person.
A steward is considered a trusted advisor. Someone who manages things for the master of the estate.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." -Genesis 1:1
First book, first chapter, first verse... It all belongs to God! My money, my gifts/talent, my time, my life, my mission, my child- everything that I am and that exists is because my God made it so. WE are the stewards. Nothing belongs to us- we are managing all things in this world for our King. Even the money. Think of yourself as a cashier; you are handling the money of your employer. That's the responsibility we are called to. Do you know what it is called when you steal money from your company? Embezzlement: theft of funds belonging to one's employer.
Managing the finances of your home is a responsibility bestowed by God. Ouch! Do you know the parable of the Bags of Gold (Matthew 25:14-30)?? A man entrusted his three servants with his wealth while he was gone. Two did well and one did not.
Verse 14: "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them." Who are the servants? We are! Who is the man going on a journey? Christ. We have been entrusted with His wealth. Do you know what I want to hear when I get to heaven? "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21, 23)
Each man was given a different amount of gold based on his ability to manage it. Some people prove to manage finances better than others. It seems presently that finances are a huge problem for everybody. Look at our country, one of the reasons America is a third-world country is because of our mass amount of debt. Do you see the common thread? When we are not taking care of things for our Master, but for ourselves we start dropping the ball. Trish is not alone. I am not alone. YOU are not alone. I have heard my share of couples argue about money over the years. We get caught up in "my money" and "their money" that we forget it is His money. We have to take those moments and refocus back to God. "God show me what to do." More than once while working on bills I have asked Him to bless and guide us. God never cheats us. We cheat Him. It is our duty to take the responsibility of handling the money seriously! We are human. Don't punish yourself horribly when you realize you have mismanaged something. Bend your head and ask Him for forgiveness and help. He will answer you!
Not just money...
Keep in mind that stewardship doesn't mean money alone, though. We are called to manage all of His property; our God given talents, our children, our jobs, the Good News, the environment, and the list goes on! People ask how God could let people starve. He doesn't- we do. We are mismanaging His resources.
"This, then, is how you out to regard us: as servants of Christ and as
those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required
that those who have been given trust must prove faithful." -1 Corinthians 4:1-2
"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and on the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." -Matthew 28:18-20
God I ask that you forgive us our debts and how we have consciously and unconsciously mismanaged your property. We are flawed and human, and you love us past all that! Help me to be a steward you can be proud of Lord. Guide me in all ways for Your Kingdom! You provide all that is needed in this world. Thank you God! Amen.
"I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it."
-Psalm 101:2-3
