God is really big on stewardship. Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.
Stewardship affects every area of our lives. It’s important to teach kid good stewardship principles when they’re young. When they get a new toy, teach them to take care of it and not to break it as soon as they get it.
Your teenager may want the latest and greatest most expensive basketball shoes, but will they keep up with them, or will they keep losing them? Why give kids nice stuff if they’re not going to take care of it? Kids need to be taught that good stewardship principles are important. If they’ll take care of their stuff, it will last longer, and they’ll develop a sense of responsibility.
The Bible talks about how being a good steward over a little will cause you to become a ruler over much (Matthew 25:21). But if you can’t successfully steward what you already have, how can you expect to handle more? If someone is slack and irresponsible with the job they have now, how can they expect anyone to promote them to a position with more responsibility and more income?
If we want our kids to excel in life, we need to teach them to be good stewards.
THE TAKE AWAY
Your kids won’t automatically know how to be good stewards. They need to be taught. When they’re finished riding their bicycle, train them to put it back where it belongs and not leave it laying out in the front yard. Build good stewardship disciplines in them when they’re young, and they’ll grow into responsible, successful adults.
