Friday Nurturing Content - 04/05/24

Happy Friday, Friend!

And Happy April! This month, we are celebrating God’s creation in honor of Earth Day, which takes place on April 22nd. So, it only makes sense that our theme this month is: Creation Stewardship.

From the beginning of, well creation itself, humans have been assigned the role of stewards over God’s creation. What does that mean exactly?! Let’s go to Scripture to see:

“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” -Genesis 2:8,15

God didn’t just leave subtle hints to mankind; rather, He left precise instructions. As soon as God created man, He gave him his first job, no qualifications needed. God made Adam the Chief Gardener of the Garden of Eden. And, as Chief Gardener, his duties included cultivating and keeping the garden.

We know that the primary role of creation is to glorify God. And, while God did, indeed create mankind to glorify Him, He also created us on purpose with a purpose! The way through which Adam glorified God—and the way through which you and I glorify Him today—is by having a purpose to fulfill.

God has given us each the ability and responsibility to cultivate and keep. While we may no longer reside in the majestic Garden of Eden, we now have the entirety of Planet Earth to take care of, starting in our very own backyards.

What exactly does it mean to cultivate and to keep? The Oxford dictionary says that to cultivate means: to prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening. And, to keep means to cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc., which essentially means to maintain.

If we look at these terms in the context of nature, creation, or gardening, we could say that cultivation is the way by which we produce new growth (i.e. planting seeds and propagating plants) and maintenance is the act of ensuring existing plants are alive and thriving (i.e. watering, weeding, fertilization, etc.).

When God calls us to steward His creation, He wants us to not only preserve that which already exists but also to increase and multiply it. Everything we possess and everything we have access to here on Earth is a gift from God. The way we maintain it and the way we allow it to flourish is our act of worship before God. The way we care for the things that truly do not belong to us but to God is how we glorify Him. This is the very essence of stewardship.

How can we be good stewards of that which God has entrusted us? Here are some things to remember:

1. Remember that you are a steward of all that God has given to you and given you access to. You are responsible to care for it knowing that it does not entirely belong to you but to God. This could be your finances, your home, your family, or even your local neighborhood where you live.

2. Remember that no one else is responsible to steward that which is yours. In the case of our planet, we oftentimes point fingers at the government with the expectation that it is their job to take care of pollution, recycling, etc. It is not the sole responsibility of the activists and the environmentalists to make changes. God gave the first role to an individual—Adam—and not to a collective. Each one of us has our own individual responsibility when it comes to stewardship.

3. Remember that your responsibility to stewardship is not dependent on the outcome or reach of your actions. Let’s be real here: your day-to-day acts of responsible stewardship may not be noticed on a grand scale; however, it does not mean they are to be taken lightly or neglected. Stewardship is not about results but about obedience.

4. Lastly, remember that your act of stewardship is glorifying to God. When faced with decisions about how to steward, remember to do that which brings God the most glory.

I leave you with this final quote:

“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.” -Pope Francis

Dedicated to your success,

Tam

P.S. Check out what our monthly challenge is by heading over to our April Success Guide! Hint: it’ll take you outside! 🌎🌞🌳