StewardshipTHE WORD “STEWARDSHIP” CROPPED UP in several conversations for me recently, so it seems that God’s asking me to pay attention to the idea.

The word originally came from “servant of the house,” but over time expanded to the role of chief servant.  Well, these days few of us have servants, much less more than one, so why is the concept important?

Because it’s about taking care.  Of the house, of possessions, of the gifts you’ve been given in your life.

This is something each of us needs to do.

If you have any employees under your leadership, I’d hope you understand that one of your God-given duties is to care for them in your leadership.  If they’re suffering, you should care.  If they’re unfulfilled, you should help them with that gap.  You may even have to let someone go – but in a loving and supportive way.

In my current business, I don’t have any employees.  But the concept of stewardship is no less important.

  • I have partners for whom I’m eternally grateful.
  • I’m chief provider for my family.
  • I have clients who rely on my support for improving their lives and businesses.

With all of these, I need to be humble enough to realize that it’s not about my ego or about “achievement” in the worldly sense.

It’s about making a difference in the world, leaving it just a little better than I found it.

Of course, we understand that “stewardship of the environment” means not only using natural resources well, but actually improving it where we can.  That’s admirable, and we should strive for this in our businesses and our personal lives.

But let’s do the same thing for the people we touch and influence.  Especially for those who rely on us.

We’re stewards, each of us.