Stewardship: Our Youth
The music begins to softly play and people look up from their moment of quiet reflection. Conversations erupt across the sanctuary. Within minutes, familiar circles reform as naturally as magnets snapping together. This most commonly happens among our youth. There is nothing wrong with enjoying friendships with people our own age. The danger comes when these circles turn into walls that keep us from experiencing the fullness of the church body.
As I prepare to leave for college, the Lord has been teaching me to steward my time intentionally rather than spending these final months focused only on myself. Some of the sweetest gifts He has given me have been the relationships with godly older women who have walked with Christ longer than I have, as well as the younger girls whom I’ve had the opportunity to encourage and invest in. These cross-generational relationships are beautiful and necessary within the church body (Titus 2:2–8).
The concept of stewardship is often associated with money, possessions, or talent, but one of God’s greatest gifts to us is time. How we spend it reveals what we value most. While the world’s culture has marketed youth as the time to make life about yourself, the Bible teaches us that youth is not a season to consume, but a season to steward for His glory.
So what do we do with our time? The answer lies in the greatest commandment: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second: love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). A genuine love for the Lord produces a genuine love for His church as a whole, not just the parts we gravitate towards the most.
In whatever season God has given you, make it a priority to love Him first and love the people He has placed around you. For a young person, this could look like inviting a middle school student into your conversation, introducing yourself to an older church member you’ve never met, making room in your circle for someone else, etc. This kind of intentionality may require sacrificing comfort, convenience, or familiarity. But to honor Christ is worth the sacrifice!