She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. Proverbs 31:15

Stewardship: the activity or job of protecting and being responsible for something

Stewardship is too often only applied to our finances, yet it encompasses EVERY ASPECT of our lives. How we use our talents and God given gifts, serve others, run our households, handle our relationships… Especially our most important relationship: the one we have with Christ.

The Proverbs 31 woman is a perfect biblical example of a conscientious steward, of not only her possessions, but of her time and herself.

The Proverbs 31 woman is a hard act to follow…. but it’s important that we understand the scripture is about her heart and love for God, more than her works. It seems almost impossible to emulate this woman, but ALL things are possible with God. He has given us this example, a goal to strive for without the comparison of envy, where we will always fall short!

There are differing theological views of who exactly this woman is. One is that she is an actual woman or an example of what a Godly woman should strive for.  Another thought is that this is an actual woman, but the scripture represents all the seasons of her life….  I personally like the thought of seasons in a Godly woman’s life.

I was raised by a woman who grew up and survived WW2 in Germany, although my mother is an unbeliever she taught me much about stewardship. She was very resourceful, left-overs became new creations; she harvested a bounty from a small garden; made cleaning products out of pantry/medicine cabinet items; she believed that whole foods in their natural state was healthier then packaged stuff. “You are what you eat” ( She was ahead or her time on those last two! ). She took care of everything as though it was irreplaceable; every dollar earned, a portion went to savings; when receiving a gift or new item, she chose to give away something to those less fortunate, ” You’ll never acquire more than you need and always have enough room for your stuff”;  she didn’t believe in waisting time because you can never get it back. She saved money and gained a sense of accomplishment by re-purposing things; all work was considered honerable, she worked hard and did her best. She believed that if you dress your best and respect others, they will respect you. My mother would say “Only make promises you can keep, or your word is meaningless!”

Stewardship in a nutshell, NEVER WAIST ANYTHING.

At the age of 12 I accepted Christ. That first year reading the Bible, I remember reading Proverbs 31. I was  so impressed by the woman described that I prayed God would mold me, break me and make me into that woman. It took me into my thirties before I recognized how God had used my unbelieving mother to teach me so much about this biblical woman and the amazing steward that she is. I realized that  I was teaching my children those lessons, but with Christ at the center. How intriguing,  He uses ALL things for good and ultimately HE gets the glory!

My desire is to share with you some simple ways that you can implement good stewardship into the care and keeping of yourself, family and home. No comparing or setting bars too high just some common sense ways that can bring wisdom, peace, joy and most importantly glory to God.

Food and the Kitchen: Just a few simple ways to make the most of what’s in your fridge.

• Each week put all the left-overs in a pot ( I mean ALL the left-overs) cover with water and slowly cook it down over several hours, let it cool. Strain it and you are left with an amazingly tasty broth. Add fresh veggies, meat, pasta or rice, herbs etc.. And you have a hearty soup to feed your family for several meals..     photo?
• Left-over mashed potatoes can be mixed with an egg some cheese, left over bacon, parsley, dill, make them into patties and sautéed in coconut oil for a tasty side dish.   Photo?
• Fresh veggies that are on the verge of expiring can be diced, tossed with a little dressing or Greek yogurt and the herbs of your choice and viola, a healthy salad….  Photo
• Plant a garden, can, freeze and dehydrate the abundance. I learned canning by buying an old Ball Canning book from a garage sale and through trial and error learned to store the bounty.
• As the woman of the home you control the grocery shopping and what is set on your table. If you have “picky eaters” it’s because you created them… You have the power to change the habits in your home.

I hope that these tips will help you to start thinking about all of the ways that you can implement faithful stewardship in your home!  Tomorrow we will be talking about your to be a good steward of Yourself!

There is abundant blessing in being a good steward of all God’s provisions in our lives. Trust Him in this promise!

Abundant Blessings,
Heidi Wilt

How do you use leftovers to be a good steward?  Consider leaving a comment.