• Dr. Agnes S. Thomas

This reflection focuses on an expanded view of ‘stewardship’ as a core value that is foundational to our everyday lives and relationships. What inspired me to choose this particular topic is a recent conversation I had with a young man who asked me why we should reuse items that are easily replaceable with new ones, especially if the cost is negligible. It was a rather innocent and curious question; however, when we look at it against the backdrop of a ‘use and throw’ culture, it prompts a critical examination of our relationships with each other and the world around us that is evolving rapidly, because the culture influences what and whom we value and prioritize. I believe a deeper understanding of the notion of stewardship or what it means to be a steward can help us to be each other’s keepers so that together we can discover ways to uphold all that has been entrusted to our care.

Stewardship means taking care of things entrusted to us. But are we really doing so when we’re constantly told everything around us can be replaced? How can we be good stewards when there’s confusion about what we should value? It becomes difficult to make the right choices when life, relationships, possessions, and nature are treated as replaceable and categorized based on one’s convenience. This distorted view of life puts us in constant competition, leading to relationships that lack connection and a shared purpose. Sometimes, we even dismiss others as too inconvenient or unworthy, creating a norm where it’s easy to discard those who don’t fit in. This mindset teaches us to avoid meaningful connections and focus only on ourselves. The “use and throw” culture we are fostering is not something to be proud of; it reflects a sense of privilege that divides people and makes some believe they can avoid vulnerability and mortality. This illusion of control over the world leads us to act without care. Is this the kind of world we want for our families and communities? Or should we return to our roots, envisioning a future where humanity comes first and we are to be each other’s keeper?

So, how do we practise this? It begins with the first and simple answer to my young friend’s question. Yes, we should reuse items when possible and commit to preserving what is important. However, we must also remember that while we belong to the world and everything in it is at our beck and call, we truly own nothing, as we are merely travellers on the short journey called life. We should take only what we need and leave the rest for those who come after us. Additionally, we should break new paths even as we fix what is broken so that others don’t have to face the same struggles we have encountered. As good stewards let’s plant seeds of hope that can grow and bear fruit for those who might otherwise fall into the world’s traps.

The two critical questions for us to consider here are how we can intentionally practice stewardship in our daily interactions and decision-making and how can we make it a core practice within our homes and communities so that our children and youth grow up learning and practicing it as an inherent aspect of their lives, and as a core element of their being in relation to the other and the rest of the world.

If we accept that stewardship is a shared value and responsibility ingrained in our lives, it will serve as a thread that connects us to the other and the rest of creation. If we don’t name and practice this value, we will lose the opportunity to model this foundational principle of care for one another and for our common home, the earth.  It is in this meaning-making process that, as humans, we learn and connect ideas, values and advice to an action based on the relationships we acquire. As we continue to grow and connect with others and the things around us authentically, we come to see it not just as a responsibility but as an essential part of our calling to be stewards and co-creators from the beginning to the end of our short lives on earth.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).