At this time of isolation, quarantine, and new normal, most of us are more acutely aware of the things that matter most. There are some things that cannot be delegated, that rest only with us, and that are the most important and valuable part of our lives. A good name for these few and special things is “Stewardships.” The most important of these, of course, are our marriages, our children, and all of our family relationships.
Seven years after the publication of Stewardship of the Heart, the Eyres wanted to do a second edition that both expands the definition and application of an attitude of stewardship over ownership and that makes the concept available to all, whether “religious” or not. They called the new book Spiritual Stewardship and as the title suggests, it takes a spiritual but not denominationally religious tone. When Ownership is the trunk of our lives, the limbs that grow are pride, envy, covetousness, condescension, and greed. When we change our trunks to Stewardship, the limbs are replaced by humility, sensitivity, extra-centeredness, spirituality, and a win-win attitude. Learn how to apply a Stewardship attitude to everything, from parenting to career.
Definitions:
Ownership: The mistaken notion that things belong to us.
Stewardship: The more accurate attitude that things pass through our hands, that we are caretakers or stewards over them for a time.
Spiritual Stewardship: The pure, powerful perception that everything belongs to God, that true joy comes in magnifying and serving with what He gives us.
In “normal life” there is often a disconnect between what we know is most important and where we spend our time and mental energy. We all know family is our top priority, but it often gets less attention and effort than our jobs and our other interests. This pandemic, with everything canceled and with kids out of school, may actually help us better align what matters most and where we spend our effort and our energy. This all ties in with the powerful concept of Stewardship and of acknowledging that we own nothing and God owns everything–thus we need to be better stewards over the most important stewardship of all–our marriages and our families. On this week’s episode of their Eyres on the Road podcast, Richard and Linda outline what a Stewardship attitude looks like and how it can help us get through this pandemic and actually improve our priorities and our stewardship responsibilities over the long term.