A call to discipleship
By Eric Haselhorst
Associate Director
of Stewardship
We begin this lesson with a review of the
last issue: Stewardship 101. Previously, it was clarified that God does not
want your money; stewardship has erroneously been camouflaged as a means of
raising money as needs arise. I would like to focus on the deep meaning of
living a stewardship way of life.
Let us begin with an excerpt from the
Notice from this excerpt that being a
steward of God’s goodness begins with discipleship, but even more basic,
vocation. Pope John Paul II wrote, “Only in the unfolding of the history
of our lives and its events is the eternal plan of God revealed to each of us.”
(Christifideles Laici, 58)
Every personal vocation is unique. Simply stated, everyone’s vocation is
different. We can find common ground, however. When we begin living out our
vocation we become disciples of Christ. Answering the
call through vocation leads to discipleship. This natural progression ultimately
leads to stewardship.
Take a moment to consider vocation alone.
If you are a welder, an insurance agent, secretary, nurse, married, parent or
grandparent -- these are all vocations. A vocation does not necessarily mean
religious life. Is does, however, mean living out your life for God. It means
being the very best welder, using good ethical business practices, being
compassionate, honoring your spouse, and being a good example for
grandchildren.
All of the above can
be a vocation in the context you do all of them to honor God. He gave you the
abilities; honor him by using them well. If you are having difficulty figuring
out what you are called to do, ask the folks around you; listen to them. Listen
to God. Many times the people around you will see gifts you have that you would
never consider pursuing as a career or ministry. Be very aware of those
comments; God could be working through them to get to you.
In addition, be open. Great freedom can be
experienced when God is allowed into your soul to do His work. As an example,
have you ever met someone who loves their job? Not a clock puncher, but a person that most days they are at work, you cannot tell if
they are at work or at play? Look for a person like that; they are a joy to be
around. That is a perfect example of someone living out their vocation. Some understand the
spiritual aspect and some do not. What is more important is whether or not that
person understands that God allows them to perform that work. I have been
blessed to meet several people like that -- one works with children, the other,
my dad, delivers packages to eager recipients. They
get it, and it is very inspirational.
If God has called you to be where you are,
then be the best you can be. Be the best husband, wife, student, welder, nurse,
delivery man or whatever you are. If not, start today by asking God for his
plan to be revealed to you and be open to it. Heck, if you would have asked me
if my family would be moving to Dodge City, I would have told you that you are
nuts and need medication. But this is where we are supposed to be -- becoming
disciples.
Much like our Christianity, living out
stewardship is not a point in time when you awaken and BOOM! you’re
a great steward. As the bishops wrote, it is the work of a lifetime. It is a
process of becoming a disciple of Jesus, a constant process of giving thanks
and answering God’s call to become everything He made you to be. It is a
process discerning and then using all the gifts you have for the good of
everyone around you, and, because of that process, ultimately yourself.
Through the use your
time, talent, and treasure, God works through you and he is delighted and
honored that you would make such wise use of his gifts.
My son Matthew is very
interested in thunderstorms and tornadoes, so my wife and I gave him a set of
DVDs for his birthday, one of which is called “Superstwisters.”
It is such a joy to hear him tell stories of how tornadoes formed and what to
look for in oncoming weather. We gave him a gift from which he is learning and
gaining knowledge -- and sharing with those around him (although I think his
friends might be tired of hearing about tornadoes). But that is how God sees
you when you take the gift and discover all the goodness he gave you. That is
exactly what a stewardship life is: taking all the gifts and unwrapping them
one by one to discover who God made you to be, then answering his call to
become that person. What a liberating moment! But keep it simple; it will not
happen overnight. It is a process of trusting Jesus to show the way and being
open to Him.
If you would like to offer input, feel free
to contact Eric at ehaselhorst@dcdiocese.org.