The Constancy of Stewardship
In the past few months, my life has incurred much more change than usual. If you’ve been following the Hildegard Collective for a while, you may know that I’ve been living in Ireland for almost 6 years. Well, in February, my husband and I boarded a plane for Chicago and haven’t looked back.
This time of relocation marks a big change and fresh start for our family, and while it is undoubtedly full of excitement, it is also full of uncertainty. What does our future look like here? Where will we live? Will we have friends? What sort of work will we do?
Throughout this season of change, my constant prayer has been for God’s guidance and wisdom. As I have prayed, one word has repeatedly and insistently come to mind:
Stewardship.
I have sat with this word a lot, wrestled with its meaning, and wondered at its implication for my life. Certainly, I do not have all the answers, and this new chapter of my life is still very much unfolding. In that proverbial unfurling of the sails of my ship, I wrote the following reflection for myself, and have found a lot of peace in guiding myself through it.
How can I be a better steward of the gifts God has given me? (And, while I’m thinking of it, what are those gifts?)
My home and all of its resources are a gift. Am I allowing myself to ignore responsibilities of care towards my household?
My job is a gift. Am I properly stewarding my company’s time and resources?
My health of body and mind are a gift. How can I steward my health today?
The world around me is a gift. Am I taking care of my environment to the best of my ability?
My music making is a gift. Am I seeking to utilize my music for His glory, or for my own self-seeking?
How can I be a better steward of my time?
Every hour of every day is a gift. Am I allowing myself to fall into habits of laziness and distraction?
How can I be a better steward of my relationships?
Am I allowing myself to fall into gossip?
Am I allowing myself to be jealous or angry at others?
How can I be a better steward of my finances?
Am I allowing myself to fall into habits of greed and materialism?
Do I donate to others and to the Church as I am able?
How can I be a better steward of my future?
Have I prayed today about what God’s will is for me, and for the grace to follow what He asks?
What steps can I take today to prepare myself the continued growth of my vocation?
What does it look like for me to BE stewarded? What relationships (with both people and things) in my life owe me a responsibility of stewardship, and how can I work to improve the relationships that need work in this area?
This reflection has been a guidepost for me as the winds of change and uncertainty have billowed around me. I have become increasingly able to understand not only my own responsibility to stewardship, but also how God has been a particularly good and loving steward to me. So, while specific conditions of mine and my husband’s life have (and will continue to be) changed, God’s loving stewardship remains constant.