An Everyday Steward is Grateful

This is the last in a 6 week Everyday Stewardship series that highlighted 6 characteristics of an Everyday Steward. Look back through the weeks here on The Main Thing Blog and in LPI’s Connect to read them all. Have a Blessed Holy Week!

Passion Sunday – 2016

When I was younger I used a reflection on youth retreats that depicted a disciple of Jesus and his concern about how much Jesus loved him. The disciple would several times over his life ask Jesus the question, “How much do you love me?” Each time Jesus would simply shake his head, wondering why the disciple would ask such a question. Then Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death, driving the disciple crazy with his inability to get an answer from Jesus. He was insecure and needed reassurance that the Jesus he loved cared for him just as much. Finally, he met Jesus before the moment of His execution and cried out to Him to please ease his soul over the concern of how much He loved the disciple. Jesus then answered, “I love you more than you know. I love you this much,” holding his arms out to his side as far as they would go. Then Jesus was seized while in that posture and nailed to a cross, making that gesture a permanent one for the disciple and everyone else to see.

I then would play a song entitled, “Thankful Heart,” which contained the lyric, “I have a thankful heart, that you have given me, and it can only come from you.” It was a moving reflection every time. After all that concern about how much the Master loved him, what else could he have but a profound sense of gratefulness? He received his answer, and with that answer, a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice of love.

Gratefulness is a primary characteristic of an Everyday Steward. On a day like Passion Sunday our gratefulness should overflow. Because of his death and resurrection, all things are made new and all things are possible. We are called to be thankful people about all the gifts in our lives because the only reason any of the gifts matter is because of His ultimate gift: His life.