stewardship

It was raining today and I was taking photos of puddles and drops of water falling off autumnally gold leaves whilst trying to keep my camera dry. I was imagining what it would be like if I had a prop guy to hold an umbrella and the foil mirror to shine the light on the subject and have all my lenses and cameras ready. A personal assistant. Smiling wrily to myself I readdressed myself to the issue of keeping camera dry until I had to leave as I could no longer see through my glasses.

It got me thinking:

a few weeks ago I was in a situation with my camera, that I put down someplace, not really thinking my actions through. I was busy, three or four different people were asking me stuff. telling me stuff and I had a job to do on top of that. The inequality of my situation being reflected in the lives of the people we were there for. 

 

It was pointed out to me that I should be careful with my possessions. I gave the standard retort I have given for many years: "If someone takes it, they need it more than me"

Today I revisited this as I trying to keep my camera dry. I had a "lightbulb" moment:

 

If everything belongs to God and we are merely stewards               to not look after the possessions is disrespectful to God.

I was being disrespectful to God by leaving possessions in places, not only that but I was encouraging a person to steal.

It is okay to give stuff and I encourage this at every opportunity in my home and outside in the environs. It is okay to give money away.

BUT

If we are not respectful of the property that we have been given stewardship over then we are not respectful of God.

We have been given dominion over the whole earth but that job looks too big for me to do. So I must look after what I have been given to look after. I must become a good steward of my camera as I learned to become a good steward of the Lord's temple last year.

A relative of mine is a recovered "something" addiction, because of the addiction they had different ideas about what was an acceptable way of living in the world. They were not good stewards of themselves or their environment or their community. I am the relative that lived in that normal. That way of living was my normal for many years till I left the area.

Some years later I travelled with my family (husband and son) back to this normal. In one house I was told of a perambulator that was stolen, in another house I was shown the same item. The two stories - one of loss and disbelief and the other of adventure and wonderment.

My normal was changing, theirs was not. Many years later their normal has not changed. The stories of chance encounters with other peoples' items are still the same. The small print might be different, but the chancing, the adventure, the buzz are the same.

I have become a steward no longer neglecting, no longer destructing within or without, no longer squandering but fully committed to the stewardship of this vessel and the vessels around me and in whatever small way I can make a difference in the Big Picture