stewardship::they're not really mine

when i've talked about stewardship before, our material possessions have been the key focus.  how can we be good stewards of the money God has entrusted us with?  how can we be good stewards of our home, our food, our car, our clothes?  how can we teach our kids to be good stewards of their things and keep them for developing a consumerist mentality?

but something that has not been overly emphasized in our home is the fact that God has also entrusted us with people.  more specifically, a spouse, children, and even our own bodies.

in all honesty, i don't see my husband or my children as belonging to God.  i see them as mine.  my husband.  my kids.  but in reality, God has graciously provided me with a loving and caring husband.  and it is God who has graciously blessed me with our children.  they belong to Him, and He has entrusted them to me.

i think using that perspective has helped me view my family in a totally different light.  my husband is special because he belongs to the Lord.  my children are special because they too belong to the Lord.  how can i be a good steward of my family?  by treating them with respect, love, and extra-care because they belong to someone else, and someday i have to return them.

this perspective is also especially freeing to me when it comes to raising, training, and teaching our children.  our children are our special treasures, entrusted to us by God.  we as parents have a clear job to do, but there comes a point when we have to let them go.  because they belong to the Lord.  when i had my miscarriage, i remember in the midst of my grieving rejoicing in the fact that our sweet baby was where he (or she) was meant to be...back to where (s)he belonged.  i know what i need to do as a parent, and part of being a parent is learning to let go of our children and handing them over to God (easier said than done!).

because really, they belong to Him, and He has entrusted them to me.