Many, if not all, of our problems, have to do in one way or the other with ownership. Think about it. Seriously.

We get mad when someone at work is given the corner office. Or if the position you applied for was given to someone else. “That should’ve been me. I’m more qualified.” We say to ourselves. What about the house we live in or the car we drive? Did you see what beautiful neighborhood it is? I can go endlessly on examples, from money, influence, friends, and on and on.

Granted, we all desire a good life. We all wish to have a better set of circumstances than the ones we currently have. That is why we work and decide where to eat or spend our vacations. It is the same when we go out to buy clothes or other “essentials” of life. The fact remains the same; we have a problem of ownership.

If we are honest with ourselves, we don’t own anything. Think of that for a second. Do you own your life? You might argue saying, “Well, of course, I do as I please,” but do you own your life? I had a friend that jokingly always said to me, “We all have an expiration date written behind our ear.” And he was right. Not the part of the ear, but the part that none of us know what that date is. What about your children? Are they yours? “Well, of course, I gave them life.” You’d say. Did you? And that bank account and investment account? They’re yours also, right?

While we walk on this earth, some papers say that x,y, or z, legally belong to you and me. But in reality, none of it is.

It is all a stewardship. It is temporary, and we are accountable. If we ingrain this thought deeply into our souls, life would be so much easier, for all of us.

The One that pointed it out more clearly was Jesus. There are a couple of parables he used that describe this in a better way. In Luke 12:16-23, Jesus told the story of a man that amassed a great deal of earthly wealth and observed it to the point that he wanted to build even bigger barns to store it. The problem for him was that he would not live to see the next day. Oops! He lived his life as if he had control of it all and determined who got what. Jesus himself posted a question as to who would inherit all he had amassed.

There was yet another example in Matthew 25:14-30 of a man who left his employees to tend to his fortune. At his return, he rewarded each once accordingly to how he had dealt with what was entrusted to each. It was all a stewardship.

If we sincerely stopped for a moment and looked at life this way, we would see everything differently. We would be free. We would understand that God gave even the talents we express for us to steward in a way that would honor him and benefit us and those we love. Because when we use our skills well, we are giving honor to the One who created us to His image and at the same time, we elevate our awareness of our worth.

Everything on this earth was created for our enjoyment, not for our enslavement. We are not slaves of stuff; we are stewards of it. We take care of what was entrusted to us: children, our earthly bodies, houses, employment, leadership, talents.

When we attach to stuff thinking it’s ours, we enslave ourselves. We are not the owners. Don’t fall for that lie. The secret to becoming free is to acknowledge it is not ours. And while we are constantly bombarded every day to acquire more and more, a sincere and genuine view of who owns it all will free us from being pressured.

After all, it is all HIS. All of it!

It’s not ours.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2019

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”