The new year is a wonderful time to refocus and even set a resolution. Not sure if I’m setting a resolution this year, but I’d like to discuss the important topic of stewardship in our lives and what it means.

Another year has come. Faster than any other for me. This seems to be the way of it the older I get. I hate to think just how fast time will pass after middle age.

This is the time of year that brings many emotions as we reflect over the past year, but, as fast as it was, it can’t hurt to go further than that.

But looking back is most valuable when it encourages us to move forward with more clarity and wisdom.

This is usually when we would set a resolution for the year to be better in the coming year. I won’t say that I’m not setting one, but perhaps this year will be more broad than a single resolution—perhaps the opposite of usual advice on any kind of goal-setting.  

The topic that’s been on my mind is a big one: stewardship.

Now if you’ve grown up in the church, you may be tempted to roll your eyes, groan, and/or be filled with a general sense of dread. You probably associate this word with a request to open your already tight wallet, since many churches devote one or two months a year to what they call “stewardship” where the main topic is giving to the local church.

But there is more to stewardship than money. Yes, it’s part of it, but there is so much more. As Christians, we are stewards of all that God has given us.

Practical Areas for Christian Stewardship

So what are the major areas of stewardship? I’ve been brainstorming, and the following list is what I have so far.

#1 – Talents and Abilities

Everything tied to our talents and abilities is sometimes easy to overlook. We tend to think that somehow we have earned our intelligence, and even things like energy level can make us look down on others who seem to have less than we do.

We say, “I’ve worked hard for everything I have.” But we forget that even the ability to work hard is a gift—even the motivation.

#2 – Resources

Like our talents and abilities, resources are easy to overlook. After all, many times they seem to be a direct result of our own hard work.

We can look to others like they’re either lazy or stupid if they don’t have the same money, possessions, and homes we do. They just need to work harder.

But then hard work isn’t a good measure. Let’s say two people have the same talents, abilities, and motivation, and they put in the same amount of work. Their lives still will not look the same.

Just as our talents and abilities are gifts, anything that results from them is also a gift.

#3 – Health

This may sound odd, but I’ve long felt that I am blessed to have had a genetic disease that I’ve known about for most of my life. I feel for those who’ve known the epitome of health only to get to middle age and beyond and struggle with changing major habits. I’ve always known what it’s like to spend significant time in doctor’s offices and be mindful of a kidney-friendly diet, so there’s no big adjustment for me.

There is also another blessing in having a chronic disease: being thankful things aren’t worse. Well, that sounds a little pessimistic, but I certainly don’t mean it that way. The point is I’m so grateful for the health that I do have. I’ve seen others with many more struggles than I have.

I’ve made many choices in the last few years to be healthier, but I would like to continue.

#4 – Relationships

Just like God gives us possessions, he gives us relationships in our lives. Well, that makes it seem like they’re property. Definitely not saying that.

Relationship is important. God created us because He wanted relationship with us. He sent His only Son to die in order to redeem us and restore relationship. He commands us to love others as we do ourselves.

Sometimes dealing with people can be taxing, frustrating, and confusing to say the least. We are not yet perfect and neither are the people around us, but each family member, friend, coworker, acquaintance, etc. is a gift.  

#5 – Environment

Our environment is God’s creation. It’s beautiful. It’s a reflection of Him—of both His creativity and His lavish care of us.

Adam, the first man, was placed in a garden and instructed to tend it with care. He and Eve were given dominion over the land. Then after the Exodus, God gave specific instructions to the Israelites on how to care for the land and animals He’d given them: Rest from labor one day each week—for man and beast. Rest the land once every seven years—which also provided whatever food grew in that time for the poor, livestock, and the wild animals on the land.

And then there’s one of my favorite verses—the one that I’ve based my entire blog on: God cares for even the sparrow (Luke 12:6-7). Even the tiniest animals, God sees them and cares when they fall.

#6 – Faith

This point is a little hard for me to articulate, so bear with me. I guess first it would start with what we Christians have in Christ: sinner-turned-saint souls and hope for the future. It’s appreciating the honor and opportunity we have to have to read a Bible—to learn about the mind of God—and to approach the throne of God in bold prayer.

It is the responsibility to live out our lives in a way that others will see the love in our hearts and look to Jesus for the same themselves.

May we remember these opportunities to live our faith in every area of our lives.

#7 – Time

We have a finite amount of time. We never know how much we’ll have, but no matter how long it is, whether forty or ninety years, it’ll pass in a blink. This is made more clear with each in-a-blur year that passes.

Stewardship is certainly a broad topic. Who knew there was so much that went into it?

Perhaps it could still be a resolution, and maybe it’s mine for the coming year. But, as important as it is, this isn’t a one-year focus. I pray to grow as a good steward of all God has placed in my life, and I pray you join me, too.

Can you think of anything else to add to this list? Let me know in the comments below.

More reading.

• True Stewardship: Managing the Life God Has Given You by Bryant Kelley from Insight for Living Ministries
• Why We Gotta Stop Shoulding Ourselves and Others from HISsparrowBlog
• How Comparison Kills Self-Esteem {+ 3 Reminders For Fighting Back} from HISsparrowBlog

I frequently link up with the following: Grace & Truth with Embracing the Unexpected, Tell His Story with Jeanne Takenaka, and Let’s Have Coffee with Joanne Viola.