Creative Stewardship

Everything we have is given. We are called to be co-creators with God. And these two things seem to be in tension: How can we be creators if the tapestry of our lives is already given? 

The image of a steward helps to resolve this dilemma. In their book, The Independent Farmstead, Shawn and Beth Dougherty explain how nothing on a farm is created ex nihilo. Cows already have the nature to produce milk and pigs to produce bacon. A farmer works with what is already there in creation. By lovingly attending to the nature of the land, the plants and the animals, he learns to cultivate greater human and ecological flourishing than these would have produced on their own. A farmer creates with the raw materials he has been given to produce a healthy and abundant homestead. 

Being a good steward of a farm is a rich analogy for our lives. This week, I invite you to consider: 

What have I been given to work with in my life (resources, relationships, talents, etc.)? What has my stewardship of these been like so far? What areas have I left to their own devices, hoping for a harvest without putting in the work? 

What might change for me if I adopted the mindset of a good steward? What if I listened more carefully to learn the character of the things under my charge? What if I worked with greater love to assist the unfolding of their thriving and development?   

God bless,
Dan

P.S. You can get a glimpse of the Doughertys’ worldview in this episode of the New Polity podcast.