An Everyday Steward is Mindful

For the next 5 Sundays of Lent and Passion Sunday, the Everyday Stewardship reflection will look at each of the 6 characteristics of an Everyday Steward, as contained in the book of the same name. Check back each Thursday on the Main Thing Blog for that Sunday’s reflection. Have a fruitful Lent!

First Sunday of Lent – 2016

We can look at the lives of teenagers in today’s world and sometimes wonder how they can even survive. Due to technology and the constant drone of mass media, young people are under constant attack by forces that are anything but Christian. Of course, if we are honest, it isn’t just the young that are susceptible to these temptations, for any age can be caught off guard and fall into a trap where he or she then wonders, “Why did I do that?” You can imagine then how someone with less maturity and life experience can easily be deceived by the culture.

Jesus was fully human and fully divine. The humanity in Him certainly understood the allure of temptation. While He was in the desert, Satan tried all he could to shake Jesus from His principles. But at no time did Jesus lose His composure and give in to temptation. He was constantly mindful of His surroundings, His adversary, and who He was and who He was not.

Being mindful is a primary characteristic of an Everyday Steward. When we are ever aware of the forces surrounding us, both good and bad, and when we are constantly listening and looking for God interacting with us, we are able to respond to God’s call in daily life. We also can see evil for it’s true self and not be taken in by it. Whether we are young or old, to be aware of and living in the present, without the baggage of the past and without fear of the future, will allow us to stay true to ourselves and to Jesus. We will be able to give of ourselves freely without concern for what the culture might say. That is Good News. Let us help each other to be more mindful, especially the young people in our lives.