Rise and Shine!
Like most parents, my husband and I shared the task over the years of getting our children up for school. I tried to be as cheerful as possible in doing so. “Good morning. Rise and shine!” I would often say.
One morning, our son was resistant to rise, but very quick-witted. “Rising is mandatory — shining is OPTIONAL,” he retorted. I chuckled to myself, as it reminded me of that quaint hymn, This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
I began to think about whether other aspects of life are mandatory or optional. Is stewardship optional? The answer depends on how seriously we take the words of Scripture.
The Bible tells us to serve God by reaching out to others to share our faith, as well as our time, talents, wisdom, prayers and skills. The Bible also calls us to give generously to our church, demonstrating the sincerity of our faith and acknowledging the true source of our blessings, our Creator. Likewise, the Bible also commands us to bring glory to God by helping others with the gifts and resources that we have been given.
Indeed, we are all interdependent and we should proclaim all that we have as gifts from our generous and loving Father in heaven. Nobody lives or dies as his/her own master. While we live, we are responsible to the Lord and when we die, we die as His servants (Romans 14:7-8).
Citing our free will, we often resist the summons to steward our life. But at the end of the day, God’s call is as persistent as the parent who lovingly urges their child to get up for school and be the best person that he or she was meant to be. And, like a good teacher, He invites us to continue to learn and grow in faith, and challenges us to stretch ourselves in service to Him.
Every morning God calls each of us to let our light shine and be a blessing to others. Will we rise to the call?
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Hennessy,
Chair, Stewardship Group