Faithful Stewardship Yields Success

By: Antoinyce Mathis

When was the last time you opened the refrigerator or pantry, looked in and said, “ugh, there is nothing to eat!”? Or, looked at your bank account and said, with sadness, “I don’t have any money!” Or, what about looking in your closet frustrated as you try to find a cute outfit for an event because, according to your estimate, “I don’t have anything to wear.” In our everyday lives, we often assess situations before looking at the truth of what lies in front of us. W

I admit, I often look in all of those places -my refrigerator, bank account, or closet -and declare them empty, even when I am looking directly at something that could be useful if properly applied.

The danger of this habit -the tendency to overlook what you already have while looking for or requesting more - is that overlooking what lies in front of you often causes you to fail in stewardship. It breeds ungratefulness. When you view what you have as insignificant and do not embrace the true power that lies in your hand (your current gifts, talents, skills, network, resources, etc.), you inhibit the birth of vision, purpose, clarity, and divine ability. This debilitating trait inevitably causes you to stifle the original intent of God’s gifts to you and cuts off the legs of possibility, paralyzing the potential outcome for success and prosperity.

God has given each one of us something to use - something to steward -even when your “something” does not seem to possess the obvious usefulness of what others have. Sometimes, it is easier to see what He has given others, while we sit back and waste the goodness that He has given us.

I am reminded of one of the best little parables God showed me while in church one Sunday morning. As my husband and I often do during church, we provided our two year old twins with brief technology time, which gave us the space to focus on the Word. When my daughter saw my son grab my husband's iPad, she immediately dropped the cell phone, with which she had

been tirelessly engaged for more than 15 minutes, so that she could become acquainted with the seemingly more attractive device. She did not care that her device had the same functions that she wanted out of the iPad, as well as its own set of unique features. None of that mattered to her, because the size and brightness of the newly presented device lured her away from what was already in her hand.

How many times is your attention taken off of your own assignment and the jewels and tools with which God has graced you because of the seemingly magnetic pull of something that seems more attractive? God has already proven and tried the gifts He’s given you. He wanted you to have those specific gifts, and, when properly stewarded, those gifts will grow, and expand, and prove to be far more powerful than you could have ever imagined.

I often find that in our society of instant success and overnight wonders, many people want the rewards of faithfulness before they have had an opportunity to be tested in the fires that often create the most successful warriors. Warriors, and successful people alike, understand that what makes the most accomplished players is not necessarily how well you fight or where you begin. The winning strategy is simple: a fearless commitment to stay the course, paired with an awareness of the many tools you have been given to turn your dreams into reality. Successful people do not have the “magic” potion to usher things from the unseen realm into reality. Rather, at the core of every successful person is a deep, unfaltering connection to faithful stewardship. They may not be the smartest, or the brightest, or the most creative, or the most intelligent, or the ones at the top of their class. They may not come from the best families or have been afforded the best opportunities. But, for all the areas where they lack, one thing ALL successful people possess is the ability to steward faithfully.

So, my friend, join me in doing inventory. This is not a wishlist inventory. Rather, it is a journey of discovery to see what God has already given us. Ask Him to help you steward faithfully, and watch Him unfold the unimaginable before your eyes. After all, He’s still the God of “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20 (KJV)