Impressions
By Dan Stremel
Director, Office of Finance and Stewardship
Things are not always as they seem. Each of us in the past week has probably encountered a situation where our first impression indicated one set of facts, only to find out that our understanding really didn’t square with reality. Over the past few weeks I’ve enjoyed reading two good books, and the author, like most good authors, presents a story line that intentionally seeks to confuse, if not challenge, our minds with information that may or may not play into the real plot. The writer knows how our minds work and he seeks to give us some information, but not all that is needed, and many impressions are formed that often lead us to wrong conclusions. In real life situations we often arrive at conclusions without having all of the information as well.
The Israelites in the first reading this week quarreled about whether the Lord was in their midst or not. They were thirsty, had left Egypt with their families and their livestock, and felt it unjust that they were going to die. Obviously, the Lord was in their midst and through Moses gave them the water from the rock, and more importantly, this sign of His presence.
In the gospel reading the Samaritan woman, when Jesus asks her for a drink, suggests that the Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans and leads one to the initial conclusion that there is no way that the woman will provide Jesus with a drink. Her impression changed dramatically after spending time with Jesus.
Our lives as Christian stewards are similar to the Israelites or the Samaritan woman because our level of faith is sometimes not sufficient to understand that the Lord is always present in our lives. Stewardship calls each of us to recognize that all we have is from God and that these gifts have been given in order that we can share them with others. When we strive to grow closer to Jesus through prayer and through daily dialogue with Christ, we can more fully understand the Lord’s presence in our lives and the ways in which we are called to steward our time, talents, and treasure.
The last story that I read centered on what, at first glance, would be considered a major crisis, with the train that the characters were on being stranded by a huge snowstorm. The people at first tended to think only about their own demise, but realized in the end that when they worked together and put aside their selfish attitudes, they could and would survive. As is always the case in these types of stories, they lived happily ever after and everything turned out how it should have more than 30 years before.
Most of us think about Lent as a time to give up something, but Lent is also a time when we can do something more than we have in the past. We are well into this Lenten season, but in the remainder of this important season and as Christian stewards, I would invite each of you to take time to evaluate your stewardship of those gifts God has entrusted to you. I know that I sometimes take for granted those blessings our Lord has bestowed on me and don’t utilize them to their fullest potential, but hope to spend the remainder of Lent and beyond by being a better steward of these gifts. Time spent each day in dialogue and prayer with Jesus will give us the encouragement and confidence to continue to develop our giftedness and to share those gifts generously.
The readings today suggest that things are, at first, not always as they seem and many of the events of our daily lives also reflect that reality. The circumstances of a particular situation will continue to lead us to form an initial impression, but it is my prayer that as we grow closer to God through our Christian stewardship, that we will come to understand God’s presence in our lives and His message for each of us in that particular situation.