On the Journey Towards Good Stewardship
written by JAN DAVIS
I picture
vineyards, households, and talents. I see servants
entrusted with large amounts of money. And I hear my
pastor asking for a return of a percentage of my time,
treasure, and talent to the church. I get the idea that
a good steward is one who manages or cares for something
well.
The image in my soul, however, opens to the memory of a
recent February 2nd. I remember listening to the
liturgical reading of the day, the feast of the
"Presentation in the Temple" and was struck by Mary and
Joseph's fidelity to the law and stewardship as parents.
I pondered Simeon's prophecy of Jesus' destiny and that
a sword would pierce Mary's soul.
Driving home I wondered, as a mother, what it would be
like to offer a child back to God, as Mary and Joseph
did in the Temple. Within hours, I got the phone call
that no parent wants to receive. My son, Wade, was in a
traffic accident and killed instantly.
In giving my child back to God in this way, I have come
to reverence the preciousness of life. I now see myself
as a steward of relationships. A good steward manages
and cares for the dearest of relationships with love. A
good steward is faithful to the law, the commandment to
love, by tending to challenging relationships with mercy
and forgiveness. A parent's good stewardship
insures that the children grow and become strong, filled
with wisdom and the grace of God.
