April Showers Bring May Flowers: A Springtime Lesson in Stewardship

As I look out my office window at the beautiful spring day, with its first promise of crystal blue skies and 70 degrees, I am slightly overwhelmed. Yes, by the beauty and gift of a day like today, but perhaps even more by the piles of work on my desk and in my kitchen at home that stand between me and the blessed sunshine my winter-starved soul is craving.

Spring is a very busy time for all of us! It is a challenge for many of us to find ways to reflect upon our call to be good stewards. Yet, spring offers an amazing and fairly easy way to reflect on all three aspects of your stewardship. All you need to do is plant the seed. Literally!

I encourage you to go take a walk through a local garden store. Take your lunch break or make it a sort of field trip after naptime (this exercise is great for kids). For less than $3 you can select a pack or two of your favorite seeds or pick up a starter carton flower or herb! I am personally a huge fan of seeds because there is such a significant transformation that happens from seed to seedling, but the green of a starter plant as it reaches for the sunlight is unbeatable after a long winter.

The opportunities to reflect daily on your stewardship are the same no matter what you choose. This plant is a gift that has been given to you by God. It is up to you to care for it tenderly and help it to grow. Ultimately, your goal is for it to bear fruit! Here are three ways to think about your stewardship as you care for your plant.

Prayer: As you seek the best place for your plant to live in your home, ask yourself, do I seek the best people, places and things to surround myself with in order to best use the gifts God has given me? Use the time you water your plant each day to ask God to show you where the places are for you to grow your gifts.

Service: As you feed, water, prune, transplant and nurture your plant as it grows, reflect on the ways you feed, prune, and nurture your God-given gifts. How are you strengthening your gifts by using them to serve others?

Sharing: When you begin enjoying the fruits of your plants, (the smell, the sight, or in a favorite recipe), consider taking a flower plant to the local nursing home or dropping off a bunch of herbs with your neighbor. Reflect on the ways you could be sharing your tangible and material God-given gifts with others.