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Kobe and Stewardship?

The news of Kobe Bryant’s death was sudden and shocking. The loss of such an elite athlete, his teenage daughter, and seven other passengers was an abrupt reminder that life is so very fragile.

Like millions of other people, I reflected on my own personal relationships. I silently resolved to spend more time with family and friends, as TV and radio show hosts encouraged listeners to hug their loved ones, and call or visit dear friends.

It got me to thinking… if Christian Stewardship includes our responsibility to maintain and use wisely the gifts that God has blessed us with, are the special relationships we enjoy gifts and blessings from God? At one time, I related stewardship to financial giving, but our church’s “Principles of Stewardship” share that God has blessed us with so much more.

Our families are great treasures to us, certainly one of the greatest blessings God has entrusted to us, for which he asks us to be faithful stewards. The stewardship of family often includes the privilege of parenting. Scripture uses the model of parenting as a means by which we understand the deep love that our heavenly Father has for our families and us.

In Jesus’s brief time on Earth, He entered into relationships with a specific purpose in mind. Those relationships were meaningful and intentional. Those relationships also had a stewardship to them, meaning that the exchange (giving and receiving) of life would carry on into the lives of others.

Life is fragile. Treasure the friends the Lord has brought into your life. These relationships are blessings from the Lord, blessings that require careful stewardship.

How grateful I am for the individuals the Lord has placed in my life as friends!