A Good Steward
I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the Biblical principle about being a good steward, but if you're curious you can read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
This weekend Dustin and I were watching a sermon on being a good steward of your money.
This verse in particular stood out to me:
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away." - Matthew 25:29
It made me start to think about the areas in my life that I've been blessed.
Specifically when it comes to my job and my day to day tasks.
Backtracking to a few weeks ago
when I decided to start the Solidarity Podcast, I knew that I wanted to put the podcast out but I also knew that I wanted to do more with it than just speak.
I wanted to encourage women and to do that I needed to advertise but I also wanted to continue the conversation and open it up to feedback and sharing.
I played for awhile with how to do this, really trying to avoid Instagram because "my engagement is terrible" and "no one cares what I have to say on there" and "Instagram is hiding everyone's unpaid content anyways". I've talked a lot about my distaste for the way Instagram handles their affairs and how they treat their creators.
But I couldn't stop thinking about Instagram. For some reason I just kept feeling God call me towards creating content regularly on there again. As I started to think and pray about it the realization came to me that no matter what platform I'm on, if God wants the message to be heard, it's going to be heard. And if He doesn't, well, it'll be seen. Nothing is impossible with God. No matter how many algorithm changes there are.
Back to the sermon,
as I was contemplating what to do with that verse it dawned on me that I haven't been a good steward of what I've been given. So why would God give me more? I've lacked in showing up and being there for those who are already there. I've lacked in answering messages, taking the time to listen to people and I've lacked in creating meaningful content that people needed. I've kept my thoughts, revelations & things that God was doing in my life to myself because I thought "why bother?". But God clearly has called me to a life of sharing and a life of being the encourager.
Who am I to not fulfill that calling simply because of an algorithm and the ruthlessness of Silicone Valley?
Isn't my God bigger than them? (The answer is yes.)
I really don't agree with ads and how impossible it is for creators to make any money on these platforms.
I really despise the censorship & lack of space for anyone that doesn't have a voice that fits the narrative.
I really can't stand the cancel culture and the witch hunts.
But it is what it is. I'm being called into a space that is hard to exist in, but I can do all things through Jesus who gives me strength.
The people who hang out in that space matter
and I intend to be a good steward with my time and energy and how I show up for them.
I encourage you to ask yourself this week, are you being a good steward with what God has given you?
Are you counting it as "all joy" (James 1:2) when you go through trials or are you abandoning your calling when it gets to be too much?
Priscilla Shirer said in a sermon I watched today,
"Sometimes you don't see until you have to walk through it". Watch here ›
Allow God to sustain you and walk you through whatever you're having to go through so that you can spread the light and love and joy of Jesus when you get to tell that story.
Even when you are going through it, remember to be a good steward of what God has given you, even the littlest things like a social media platform, and you will be blessed more than you can even ask or imagine.