God has given us gifts to reflect aspects of his divine glory. While we get to freely enjoy these ourselves, they’re also our gift to the world. And faithful stewardship means we must freely give to others as we’ve been given ourselves.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we allow others to take advantage of us or otherwise abuse our gifts. Stewardship still includes protecting our gift from harm and distortions. But sometimes we shift too far into overprotection that our gift is no longer serving others. We become like that wicked and lazy servant who buried his talent when we live in fear of our gift being misused, whether by ourselves or by others. Instead of hiding in fear we must learn to be generous – allowing others to freely glimpse the glory God has given us to reveal.
For instance, some might reflect the truth of God by offering their profound wisdom and insights. Others might reflect his goodness through their countless acts of kindness and ability to get things done. And still others reflect God’s beauty through their various creative expressions, or even through their very embodied selves.
Whatever it looks like, the gifts God has given us are not just for us alone. We have the responsibility to steward them and offer them back to him, which we do by freely offering them to the world in love. And we offer in the same spirit in which God loved us, who loved us while we were still in our sins. We don’t wait on others to recognize or appreciate our gift; rather we give because it was first given to us.
In the end, your gift is not for you alone. Enjoy it and be generous as you offer yourself as a gift to the world as well. This is how you reflect God’s glory and bring more light into the world.
Photo by Mike Giles on Unsplash
