A Christian tradition of having faith in the Lord

By SHANNON ROH
For The Catholic Week
We did not know how to tie our shoe until someone taught us. Why would we think that stewardship is instinctive? Back to school is a great time to share how the tradition of Christian stewardship came straight out of the Bible. 
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” – 1 Peter 4:10
We ensure our children receive a proper education. We teach our children about our faith, manners and basic life skills. Sadly, we often neglect to teach our children the true understanding of stewardship. 
Stewardship is more than the call to tithe. It is more than signing up at the parish ministry fair. It is more than the putting money in the basket. Christian stewardship calls us to gratefully receive God’s gifts, responsibly cultivate them, lovingly and fairly share them, and return them with increase to the Lord. 
Stewardship is far from intuitive, it is difficult and requires trusting in the Lord even during the most anxious times. This can be a daunting request. 
How does this align with time, talent and treasure? Time, talent, and treasure are the gifts God so generously gives us. Stewardship starts with spending time in prayer, sharing talents through participation, and tithing our treasure generously. This sounds simple enough, but as we all know, it is takes a lot of trust in God to achieve.    
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” – John 14:1
When times are tough, when faced with adversity, or when everything in our life is fantastic - who should we turn to? The Bible reminds us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely,” Proverbs 3:5. The tradition of Christian stewardship is trusting that our generous God will always provide for our needs. When we do our part as good Christian stewards, we help Him provide these needs to others.
­­— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.